Showdown!
by Quirkyalice
Summary: Bella Swan doesn't know what's hit her when she meets Edward the hit man. Of course, she doesn't realise that the hit man is on her hitlist himself. Will they work together to foil the Volturi's plans? Or will they do their jobs? AU human.
1. Ch1 Aro has Certainly had Some Work Done

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer**

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**Chapter 1 - Aro has certainly had some work done**

"Agent Swan, I've assigned this case to you because I think you're the Agent for the job," Aro Volturi spoke at an almost whisper, as he always did. Even when he didn't need to--like now.

Agent Swan sat in the cushioned chair on the other side of Mr Volturi's desk. The office was larger than most, with state-of-the-art air conditioning and the best coffee maker money could buy. He'd offered Agent Swan a cup when his secretary, Gianna, came in. Agent Swan refused. Gianna asked Mr Volturi if he wanted a cup, he also refused. Gianna left them to it.

Agent Swan was wearing a black suit with a silk white blouse. Her shoulder holster was hidden nicely under the the black suit jacket. It was a very hot day, and driving in her car on the way to work had been torturous. She could have not worn the jacket, and shown everyone she was armed. Or she could have left the gun at home. Not an option.

Luckily Mr Volturi's office was very cool indeed. The sweat that had been prickling down Agent Swan's back had evaporated shortly after entering the office. Agent Swan had no qualms about the fact that Mr Volturi was also carrying concealed weaponry. He always did. That's why his air conditioning was so 'up to scratch.'

"So, Swan, what do you think?" Mr Volturi folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his reclining, black leather chair. Agent Swan had mostly been daydreaming when he talked details so she wasn't sure what to think. She did, however, notice that Mr Volturi's right hand was close to where she expected the butt of his gun to be. She tensed slightly, ready to go for her gun if anything happened.

"I don't know what to think, to be quite frank, Mr Volturi. I'd like it if we could keep this meeting civil and not try to kill each other for at least a day. If that's possible, of course." Agent Swan smiled pleasantly, but her eyes were as empty as Mr Volturi's heart.

Mr Volturi smiled condescendingly back at Agent Swan. He unfolded his arms and laid them on his glass desk. He picked up the sheet of paper in front of him before he spoke again.

"As alert as ever, I see." He picked up a pen from his desk and started to scribble something on the paper he was holding. Agent Swan glanced up at his face for half a second, and noticed that he hadn't aged much in the past five years. He was at least forty, and seemed to have the complexion of a twenty five year old. His hair was also thick and shiny, with no bald spots. Good genes, she thought.

The phone on Mr Volturi's desk started to ring and he moved at lightening speed to pick it up. Agent Swan folded her own arms, the feel of her 9mm was always a comfort when she was unnerved. Her best friend, Alice Brandon, always thought she needed a new job. Alice thought that the idea of shooting people for her own piece of mind was barbaric. Well, Swan thought, we all have hobbies.

"Yes, of course. Marcus will be with you shortly." Mr Volturi put the phone down and leaned back in his chair. He looked over Agent Swan and tried to size her up. She was petite and female and looked completely harmless. But the look in her eyes was anything but harmless. That is why he wanted her for the job. She was the best at what she did.

"Anyway, Swan, let's talk details." Agent Swan nodded and eased her hand away from her gun. She was a fast draw, so it wasn't necessary for her to hold her own gun in her lap. Insecure was not a word in Swan's dictionary.

"Let's," Swan said and pulled her chair closer to the desk. Mr Volturi handed her a piece of A4. On it was the name of a successful business man, Mike Newton. There was a passport photograph and details about him.

_Mike Newton is a well-known business man. He works for Newton Enterprises and is currently investing money in a new age genome project. The project is known as 'K40 Bio' and is believed to be involved in some underground genetic modification work._

Agent Swan read the rest of the sheet and placed it back on the table. She sat back and gave Mr Volturi a questioning look.

"What is it you need me to do, Aro?" she asked. Mr Volturi smiled.

"If we are on first name terms, may I call you Isabella? Pretty name, don't you think. Pretty name for a pretty girl," Mr Volturi's smile almost reached his eyes.

"It's Bella, and I'm no pretty girl, Mr Volturi, you should know that by now."

"Yes. Looks can be very deceiving, don't you think?"--he stood up and walked over to the drapes, his back to Agent Swan--"I mean, you have lovely eyes, but I think the sociopath in you ruins the delicacy of them. And you're hair is lovely, but hidden in a high bun. Then your figure is hidden by all these trouser suits. It's like you want to be one of the men, Swan. Do you want to be one of the men?"

Agent Swan had had enough. She stood up and drew out her gun. Holding it two handed, she said, "You sexist pig."

Aro Volturi turned to face Bella. He wasn't surprised that she suddenly had a gun pointed at him, on the contrary, he wanted to make her angry. He loved to tease her when she had to work for him. A favourite past time, if you must.

Swan realised he was trying to make her irate. He was trying and succeeding. She sighed and holstered her gun. Aro sat back down, and she followed.

"Shall we get back to case?" Aro asked smugly. "We are professionals, after all."

Bella couldn't trust her voice so she nodded.

"We need information out of Newton, Swan. We need to know why he is investing in the genome project, we need to know more about the genome project. When you get the information, kill him."

"Why should I kill him?" Bella asked. See, I'm not a sociopath, she thought.

"Do you usually ask so many questions about the deceased?" Aro asked her. She nodded. She always had to have a reason for killing a person. If they were guilty of a crime that needed punishment in such a way, then she could kill them and not blink. Not lose sleep over it. But if she killed an innocent man, she'd lose a part of herself that she didn't want to lose.

"He's not dead," Swan replied.

"Not yet he isn't." Mr Volturi smiled menacingly before he spoke again. "We have reason to believe that the project could risk lives, could kill people. It may already have caused some murders. If you think he is innocent after you've questioned him, then don't shoot him. We are paying a hefty amount of money for your services, Swan. I don't like to be disappointed."

Agent Swan stood and walked to the door. "Neither do I," she replied.

"Phone me when he's dead." Mr Volturi didn't have to ask again.

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**A/N: A bit different to what I usually do, but let me know what you think!**


	2. Ch2 Pretty Dresses and Guns Don't Mix

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**For Vicki and Alfie xxx**

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**Chapter 2 - Pretty Dresses and Guns Don't Mix**

Bella drove her Vauxhall back to the apartment she shared with Alice Brandon, best friend and shopaholic. Alice managed the Selfridges store on the high street and wouldn't be home for another three hours. That gave Bella time to work on the Newton case.

The first thing she did when she got into the apartment was take off her jacket. The journey home was hot and sticky and she wanted nothing more than to get a shower. That could wait though. She locked the door behind her and walked into the kitchen. She made a black coffee. Alice hated black coffee, was always trying to get Bella to add cream or milk to her coffee. Alice was a persevering little cow, thought Bella, but then again, wasn't she a stubborn little bitch?

"A black coffee for a black heart," she muttered before she took a sip. Bella didn't really believe she was completely lost to the world. She did what she did to help save lives, not to destroy them. Most of her kills were predescented, which was a little unnerving, to know that she had planned a kill. But the only people she killed were the bad guys.

Her first kill was at the age of twenty. She was twenty six now. Had been in the job for five years. The first person she killed as a 'normal' person. James Roberts, her ex boyfriend. She dated him for a few months when she was eighteen. An abusive bastard he was. When she was twenty, she found out that he had been in a gang rape on a young woman called Jessica Stanley. Then a month later, when Bella was walking down the darkened streets after working at a fast food place, she found James with another young woman. Rosalie Hale.

Bella wasn't going to let him hurt her, so she walked down the alley and shouted to James. "Let her go you bastard!" she had said.

James turned on her and pulled out a gun. Bella's heart was in her throat and the adrenaline that had helped her get so far started to seep away, betraying her.

Luckily, Rosalie kicked him in the groin and he dropped the gun. Bella went for the gun and picked it up in her hand. She thought it felt odd to be holding an object that could so easily erase a life.

She pointed the gun at James, who started to cry. "Please, please, please." He had begged for his life. The only thing she said to him was, "And what did you do when the girls begged for their lives? I remember Jessica. I've seen her grave."

James' eyes filled with a sudden realisation that he was going to die. Bella pointed the gun at his head and stared down the barrel. A sudden emptiness filled her mind, and she pulled the trigger. Four times. Sometimes when she walks down a street, she can still see his brains leaking on the concrete as it did that night.

Of course, the one good thing she got out of that was Rosalie. Her friend and private detective. She felt safe around Rosalie. If they went out to a club, she could trust Rosalie at her back, but not Alice. Rosalie would kill for her, and she'd kill for Rosalie. It was just the way their friendship worked.

Rosalie was engaged now, so Bella didn't see much of her these days. Emmett McCarty was a good man. A good person for Rosalie to be marrying. He knew about what happened with James six years ago, and he didn't think any less of Rosalie for it. Or Bella. There were only three people who knew about that night apart from Bella and Rosalie. They were: Emmett, Jasper and Esme. Jasper is Rosalie's twin brother, and Esme the single mother of them both. Jasper worked at Selfridges. He was a chef. Developing an over sized crush on the manager, Alice Brandon.

Bella finished her coffee and looked over the Newton file. She was writing notes on the pages when Alice unlocked the door and skipped into the kitchen.

"Bella, I hope that coffee wasn't black." Bella ignored her and closed the file quickly. She stood up to take it into her bedroom. "Wait, wait, wait!" Alice shouted after her.

Bella turned around, "What?" she asked. Alice beamed and put a shopping bag on the counter. Bella sighed and walked over.

"I got these free from the store. Okay, there's some nice shampoo and cosmetics...Oh, and something just for you!" Alice pulled out another box and opened it. Inside was some black material. "Ta da!"

"What the hell is that?" Bella asked. Alice found the straps and pulled the mysterious item out of the box. It was a dress. A black dress with dark blue diamontes making a swirling pattern. "You bought that," Bella stated. Alice looked slightly embarrassed.

"Awe, darn! You caught me. But seriously, Bella. You have no dresses or anything, you need at least this one. I saw it and it is perfect for you. Just try it on for my piece of mind."

Bella started to walk away, file clutched in her arms. "If you want piece of mind, I'll get you a gun."

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**A/N: Read and review!!**


	3. Ch3 Bang Bang, she shot you down

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer**

**Thanks to everyone reading this!**

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**Chapter 3 - Bang bang, she shot you down.**

Bella always wondered why she turned out the way she did. Books were more of a comfort to her than any person could be; people thought of her as certain and ruthless and sometimes overassertive. All of that was a front she put up.

Bella's mother died shortly after she was born. Her father told her it was because of a car accident. Bella had never seen the grave she was buried in. Then her father passed away when she was ten years old. She still remembered the night, but it was blurry. She was unsure of whether she was there when it happened because she blanked out the memories. The same event had taken Alice's mother, leaving her father—Carlisle Cullen—as a widower. Alice then took her mother's maiden name—Mary Brandon—in memory.

Because Bella and Alice were so close, Alice's father took her in and raised her as his own, but he never kept the events of what happened a secret to her, and he would always speak of Charlie—and even Renee—to her when she needed it.

Things were getting better for Alice and Bella though. They were both earning a good amount of money, they were both stable and enjoyed each other's company. That was about as good as it got. Or at least for Bella it was.

"Bella, Bella, Bella. I know you're hiding from me in there. Please come out, I have some important news. If it makes you happier, you can get me a gun; although I will bury it somewhere. No, what I really need is a pair of--"

Bella opened the door, interrupting Alice midsentence. She opened it wide and stepped aside to let Alice into her room. Bella's room was turquoise; the floor, the walls, the bedspread. The cabinets and wardrobe were an off-white colour. And sitting on her bed was her polar bear called Winter. The file was still on the floor, the sheets spread out. Bella hurried over to collect the sheets and hide them from view.

"Another case for the assassin," Alice stated, sounding angry. Alice hated Bella's job with a passion. "You know, dad wouldn't be happy if he knew what you did for a living. He still thinks you're and English teacher. You know, like you planned to be back before you blew that guy's head up."

Bella dropped the papers and let them jumble and crease on the floor. "What did you say?"

Alice backed up to the far wall, as far as she could get away from Bella. Bella's face had turned a nasty purple. And she still had her gun in her holster.

"I, Bella..." Alice started to sob. Bella softened slightly, but she was still angry--Furious even.

"Alice, please don't cry. I won't hurt you, you're my best friend and sister, I'd never hurt you." Alice looked up at Bella as she took out her gun, checked the safety was on and put it on the bed. She walked over unarmed and grabbed Alice into a hug. Alice sobbed for a few more minutes and then calmed slightly.

"Bella, I'm sorry about dropping the bomb on you like that. I've known about James since you did it; the night you came home even. You had that look in your eye, the look I hadn't seen until then. The look of death. You have it every time you kill someone. Your eyes seem distant and vacant, like there's no one home. It's scary." Bella hugged Alice tighter and felt a few stray tears burn down her own cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Alice. It's just what I do."

"I know, but I don't have to like it." Alice laughed bitterly.

"I still get to use my English degree," Bella said.

"Hm."

Bella helped get Alice up from the floor and followed her out into the kitchen. "You'll still come out tomorrow night though, won't you?" Alice asked Bella.

"Yes, I will." Bella started making some more coffee.

"Promise?"

"I can't do that. You know how I am with promises." Alice sulked and let Bella finish making the coffee.

"Cream in mine. You should wean yourself off black coffee, it's ridiculous."

"You have your hang ups, I have mine," replied Bella. She then left Alice with her coffee and returned to her bedroom to get ready for tonight's job. She wanted the Newton case over as soon as possible, she hated working for Aro.

~*~

Bella put on her dark jeans and trainers and a black t-shirt. Her Glock went into her shoulder holster, and a back-up gun went into her inner-pants holster. She fastened her belt tight so the shoulder holster wouldn't flap, and put on her suit jacket to hide the guns. Winter the polar bear stared up at her as she put one extra clip into her pocket.

"What?" she said to the teddy. "I like to carry more than I need." Then she left the room.

Alice was sat watching a chick flick and was talking on her cell phone. She was giggling until Bella walked into the room.

"Oh, err, what do I say? Good luck?" she asked.

Bella replied, "Have fun works better." Then she smiled and left the apartment. Alice shrugged and went back to talking on the phone.

~*~

Bella checked her appearance in the rear view mirror. Her complexion was a little pale, but she had always been ghostly pale. She wasn't nervous about her job; she just had to get it done. Being scared didn't get anything done. She sighed and put her hair into a high pony tail and got out of the car quietly.

Mike Newton was still in his office. Bella knew this because he stayed in his office until midnight every night--Perfect timing for an assassination. When all the other workers had gone home and it was just Mike alone in the building. The gate around the brick factory building was locked. Bella sighed and hurried back to the car.

In her glove compartment was a professional lock picking kit. She took it back with her and judged the size of the lock. She took out a pick and started to work on the lock. It took five minutes, a bit longer than she expected, but it was an old lock. If she had a hammer, that would have been quicker, but louder. Rule one: Don't draw attention to yourself.

Bella put the lock picking kit behind a bush next to the fence and then opened the gate a fraction so she could squeeze through. She looked around for any signs of life and hurried to the back door. The glass in the door was broken. She peeked through the hole to see if anyone was waiting, but it was deathly quiet. This meant she could open the door. Her gun was suddenly in her right hand and pointing upwards.

The storage room was empty, so she hurried through until she reached a flight of stairs. Mike was up on the fifth floor. She began to climb, slowly, keeping her back to the walls so she would be aware of an ambush. She also looked up. People never expect to be attacked from above, but it happens.

The glass doors leading to the fifth floor opened without a sound. Bella got herself down onto the floor and started to butt-shuffle down the corridor. There were doors on either side of the corridor. If one person was in their office and was alerted to Bella's presence, that could blow everything. Also, if they had guns, she could end up dead.

At the far end of the corridor was Executive Mike Newton's office. She knelt to the side of the door, gun in a two-handed hold--Safety off. Straining her ears, she could hear the sound of typing on a keyboard.

_Too easy_, she thought and kicked open the door. The gun was pointed at a lady behind the desk. The lady smiled and Bella felt someone move behind her. Automatically she dived to the floor and a gunshot sounded over her head. Her gun was trained on the body in front of her. Pointed directly at his heart. It was Mike Newton. He had his own gun pointed skyward. He wasn't fast enough for Bella.

"Drop it, drop it or I'll kill you," Bella stated with no thread of emotion in her voice.

Newton didn't drop his gun. He started to aim it at Bella. Everything seemed to slow down as Bella sighted down her own gun and shot him three times in the chest. Mike fell to his knees and dropped the gun. Bella stood up and put another bullet into his head, for good measure.

"Bang bang," she said and kicked the gun away from Newton's body. She turned quickly to the woman behind the desk. It was careless to leave her back open for a second, but the woman had no chance. Newton's shot had gone neatly through her eye. Bella looked at the woman's name tag. Lauren Mallory.

Stepping around the desk, Bella saw the hole in the back of Lauren's head and felt dizzy. She took a deep breath in through her mouth and tried to search the desk for anything that might be useful. All the pieces of paper were blank. Newton expected Bella. The question was, who had told him?

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**A/N: R&R!!! I have cookies!**


	4. Ch4 The way to Woo a woman is not Easy!

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer. Trust me. I know these things.**

**Shoutouts: Lady Dragona, EclipsedbyJacob [has a great story called Changing Sides*cough*] and mfrancesj.**

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**Chapter 4 - The Way to Woo a Woman is Not Easy.**

Bella hurried out of the office and ran as fast as she could out of the building. She hurried to the gate, slipped through and grabbed her lock picking kit before running to her car. Once inside, she sped off. In case she was being followed, she took the long route to her apartment, all the time checking for cars or helicopters even. Nothing followed.

It was nearly one in the morning when she got into the apartment. She locked the door behind herself and headed straight to the bathroom. Alice had fallen asleep on the couch.

She peeled her clothes off and put the guns on the floor in front of the shower. The water was hot on her body but didn't warm her inside. Nothing could do that. She had just murdered a person but she felt nothing. All she felt was slightly nauseous. She wanted to know what bullets Mike Newton had used. The hole through Lauren's eye was neat, but when the bullet had come out of the back, it had ripped the back of her head off.

She hadn't even heard Lauren scream. Was the death that fast?

Bella got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body. She folded the clothes up neatly and carried them out, with the holsters and guns on top of the pile. Once she got into the bedroom, she put the clothes on her bed and changed into a tank top and shorts for bed. As she put the clothes in the cupboards, Winter was looking at her.

"I hate to say it, Winter, but you were right. I only used four bullets. No use for the extra clip or back up gun. But I'd have taken them even if I knew." Winter just stared off blankly like stuffed toys do. She sighed and put the holsters and guns on the cabinet by the bed. She double checked the safety before she crawled under the covers with Winter.

"Nasty job, but someone has gotta do it," she whispered before she fell asleep.

~*~

"Bella! I made breakfast! If you want some, come and get it!" Alice shouted and Bella started to stir. She groaned when she realised the reason for waking up. Sleep was more important than food in Bella's book.

"Alice, I'm up already." Bella left the guns in the bedroom. She wasn't going to use them, and for comfort she had Winter. She walked into the kitchen with Winter in tow.

"Awe, Winter!" Alice cooed when she saw the toy. Bella rolled her eyes and sat at the counter, ready to eat some toast and jam. The doorbell rang abruptly and both the girls jumped.

Bella looked at Alice and said, "Who the hell is that at this time in the morning?" Alice shrugged. Bella ran back into the bedroom and grabbed her Glock. Alice shook her head.

"Bella, it's not going to be a mass murderer at the door!"

Bell sat back at the table, gun trained at the door with her right hand, and Winter tucked under her left shoulder. She was armed and ready.

Alice walked over to the door and was just about to turn the handle when Bella shouted. "Alice, get down to the ground. If it's a murderer, they'll shoot at chest level. If you're on the ground, it'll go over your head!" Alice gave Bella an astonished look, but she got onto the floor and opened the door.

Bella held her breath.

"What the hell?" A familiar voice said. Bella eased down with the gun. The safety was off and she didn't remember doing it. She clicked the safety back on.

"Was that the safety on a gun?" The same person asked before stepping into the apartment. It was Jasper.

His blond hair was almost covering his eyes, which were the cutest pair of baby blues to walk the planet.

"Do you two mind telling me why Alice is on the floor and you've got a gun trained at me?" He asked in astonishment.

Alice stood up and brushed down her skirt. "Bella's idea," she said. Bella gave her an evil look.

"If it was all my idea, you wouldn't have got to the ground, would you? Next time it might be a murderer and I'll just let you get your brains blown all over the new leather couch." Bella grabbed a last piece of toast and hurried back to her bedroom with Winter, the gun and the slice of toast. All she needed to finish the ensemble was a pipe.

"Nice teddy!" shouted Jasper as she left the room. Bella expected that sort of thing from Emmett, but not Jasper...then she realised he was talking about Winter. She blushed.

~*~

Jasper sat on the kitchen counter as Alice wandered around clearing away plates and cups. He felt a little shaken, he'd never had a gun pointed at him before.

"It's okay, Jasper. She's had a rough night." Alice paused for a moment.

"Maybe she could do with seeing a therapist? It's getting worse, her behaviour. Rosalie started seeing a therapist about a year ago, and it helped her. Then again, maybe it was Emmett that helped?"

Alice grinned. "Are you wanting to play match maker with Bella? Maybe you should ask her out? I don't know, maybe you're her type?" Alice said and laughed.

Jasper turned away, embarrassed. He knew who he wanted to ask out, and it wasn't Bella.

"So, anyway, Rosalie wants to know if you're still going out with her tonight. She wants to see her two best friends before she goes to Nantucket. Oh, and mom wants to host a dinner party at the weekend. She wants everyone there. You, Bella, Emmett, me and Rose...you could bring Carlisle as well. I'm sure they'll be plenty to go around."

"I'll ask Bella later. We should probably get to work, we might be late," Alice replied.

"You're the boss. Are you going to fire yourself for being late?" Jasper laughed.

"No, but I could fire you." Alice slapped Jasper on the butt as they left the apartment.

~*~

It was almost ten in the morning by the time Bella had gotten herself dressed. Her shoulder holster was on, and Winter was back in the bedroom. She sat drinking a black coffee. Alice wasn't around to moan at her about her coffee. They always tasted better when Alice wasn't around.

Her cell phone started ringing from her bedroom, so she hurried in and answered it.

"Hello?" she said. "Who's speaking?"

"Ah, Swan. I heard that Mike Newton's dead. But there's no paperwork. Am I correct?"

"Yes. There was nothing, I--"

"Come to my office at eleven. We'll discuss it then." The phone clicked off and Bella was left listening to an empty dial tone. She sighed and grabbed her car keys. She was going back to see the devil himself. Mr Volturi.

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**A/N: Okay, read it? Reviewed it yet? No? Shame on you!**

**Oh, and if you want to be a 'victim' let me know...hehe...**


	5. Ch5 Greeneyed monsters do exist!

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie MEYER!**

**I have a song for Edward!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's called 'House of Wolves' by My Chemical Romance. Check it out if you can be bothered!**

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**Chapter 5 - Green-eyed Monsters Do Exist**

"Listen, you egotistical bitch, what's in this deal for me?" asked Edward Masen. He was speaking animatedly into his cell phone. "No, I don't go for less than a hundred thousand, if you want less, go find another man for the job."

Edward grabbed his steaming cup of black coffee and drank it down in one. It tasted bitter, just how he liked it. Edward moved around a lot. He never stayed in one place for more than a month. His line of work didn't allow for it. Maybe that's why I've never had a relationship? He thought wistfully then laughed.

The person on the other end of the phone was getting angry. Edward hated dealing with Tanya Denali. God save the person who marries her, he thought again.

"Listen, Tanya, I don't care if the person has murdered your mother, get someone else to do it for less or up the budget and I'll do it. At least with me, you can guarantee I'll get it done. Fine, we'll speak at the office. Tomorrow." He clicked the phone shut and went into the bedroom of the rented apartment.

It was spacious and bright. Despite his dark line of work, Edward enjoyed light things. He even played the piano. He hadn't played in over a year though. His piano got destroyed when the bad guys came to his permanent home. Someone cut it in half with a mini Uzi.

He got out a black suit and dressed quickly. The shoulder holster was completely invisible unless you really, really looked hard. He was ready for work.

Today on the list was guy called Caius Volturi. Edward knew of the Volturi, knew they were like the Denali's in what they did. It wasn't the Denali's who had hired Edward to kill Caius. It was an unknown identity. But they were paying two million dollars. He doesn't ask questions for that amount of money.

He got into his silver Volvo--Not very flashy for this part of New York, but at least it wouldn't draw attention to him. His shades were on before he started the car. He smiled at his reflection and set off.

He parked around the back of the block of flats he had been sent to. Apparently Mr Caius Volturi was interrogating one Eric Yorkie this morning. A perfect time to assassinate an assassin.

He walked stealthily up to the block and came through the doors as an elderly couple came out. He held the door open for the couple.

"Have a nice day ma'am. Sir," he said.

"What a lovely young man," said the elderly woman. If only they knew, thought Edward.

He continued up the stairs until he reached the seventh floor. The block had twenty floors. As he came out through a pair of wooden doors, he spotted an elevator. He would take that back down--Not because he was in bad shape, he was in excellent shape--But because it would probably be a quicker escape.

The floor seemed deathly quiet, like everyone had gone to work. That left Edward, Caius and Eric up here alone. How romantic, he thought. He suddenly heard a scream and ran down the corridor without making a sound. When he reached the screaming door, he listened.

"Now, Eric, we killed your boss, Mike Newton. Where are the rest of the papers?"

"W-what papers? I don't know what you're talking about man!" Eric's voice cracked in terror.

"How much does the wife like your fingers, Eric?" asked Caius.

"Wife?"

"Don't answer my questions with questions you know the answer to. That's insulting my intelligence. Yes, I know you have a wife; I've seen the wedding photo. Pretty little thing, isn't she. Lauren, is it? Did she come home from work last night?"

"N-no," Eric strained.

"I wonder why," Caius mused. Edward had listened to enough. He pushed against the door, but it wouldn't budge. Shit, he thought. Now he had alarmed Caius and his hostage.

"Stay here," Caius said to Eric, who was going nowhere because he was tied up. Caius pulled the gag over his mouth and walked up to the door. He unlocked it with a click.

Edward heard the click of the door and got down and to the side, a gun shot through the door, making a large hole and slamming it shut. Edward moved out of sight of the hole. If he peered through it, he might end up with no head.

The door finally opened and Edward's gun was pointed in the man's face. Caius had greying hair and sweat on his brow. His own gun was pointed at the ground. Edward was too fast. He shot twice in the head and then shot off Caius' arm. The gun flew away, still attached to a hand. Edward gave no warning.

He walked into the apartment and kept his guard up. There could be more than one person. There was no way one person could tie up Edward in his own apartment, maybe ten with machine guns. Well, they still hadn't succeeded. He got away alive.

As Edward thought, there was a man waiting, his gun in the air. Why hadn't he rushed Edward before? Was he a coward? The man turned, but it was too late. Edward's bullets were in his heart before he could wipe the shock of his face. He scanned the apartment again. No one else. To be sure, he checked the other rooms; Bathroom, kitchen, nothing.

He walked over to the hostage, Eric Yorkie. "Kid, what was all this about?" He asked the man, who was probably the same age as Edward, who was twenty seven.

"I don't know," he replied, still shaken.

"Tell me or I'll just shoot you like I did with them. It won't bother me. Although I might untie you and give you a head start. I'd still catch you, in the end." Edward laughed. He had an odd sense of humour.

"They killed my boss, Mike Newton. Told me that they needed papers. The company was for health insurance. Why the hell would they need health insurance papers?"

Edward shrugged and Eric continued. "They said something about a genome project as well, although the only thing I know about that is that Mike funded some sort of charity." Eric paused to look at the green-eyed killer. "Are you going to kill me now?" Eric asked.

Edward just looked at him. "Do you want me to?" He asked. Eric nodded.

"If any of the others come back, they'll torture me to death. They'd find me wherever I went. My wife is dead. I've no reason to live." Edward untied Eric Yorkie and kicked the dead man's gun over to him.

"I got paid to kill one person today, I killed two. I'm not making it three." Edward left the flat and heard the gunshot before he left the seventh floor. It was a messy job.

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**A/N: Don't kill me! Edward isn't so cold-hearted...really...Okay, just a little bit. **

**Read and review! bahahaha!**

**Thank you to everyone reading this story! And the reviews, I love them!**


	6. Ch6 Fine cuisine and Sweet Aro To go

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to...who was it again? OH! Stephenie Meyer...(I knew that!)**

**Thank you for the lovely reviews! And I'm sorry I couldn't update sooner...*cough* stupid glitch *cough***

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**Chapter 6 - I'll have some of that fine Cuisine, and a Sweet Aro to go**

"Ahh, Swan. Nice to see you again. Good job on Newton. Well, almost a good job." Mr Volturi smiled wryly and ushered Swan into a seat.

Bella sat down and when Gianna came in asking about coffee, she accepted; as did Aro.

"Milk?" Gianna asked Bella. Bella shook her head. "Sugar?" she asked. Bella shook her head again. Gianna then proceeded to make Aro a cup of coffee. Her short black skirt rode up slightly so you could see that her panties matched the hose. "Sugar, Aro?" she asked.

"No thank you, Gianna, I'm quite sweet enough." Bella swallowed a laugh. When Gianna turned around and carried the coffee to the table, Bella got an eyeful of her breasts, and could tell that the bra was also matching. Well, she thought, if you're going to show it all off, it might as well match. Gianna left the room again. Aro watched as her as she left.

"I hope you don't watch me like that," Bella said and took a sip of coffee.

"Like what?" Aro asked.

"You look at her like she's something to eat." Aro chuckled darkly. "Well?" Bella scowled at Aro.

"Well what?"

"Do you look at me like that?" she asked him.

"Of course not. You'd shoot me."

"Glad to know we understand each other," Bella remarked.

Aro took a sip of his milky coffee and then set it on the glass table. He laced his fingers together and waited for Bella to finish drinking her coffee. She purposely drank as slowly as was possible. When she finally finished, Aro smiled.

"May I begin?" He asked her.

"You may," she replied.

Aro opened his desk draw and pulled out a piece of paper. It was blank. "This is what we retrieved from Newton's factory,"--He pulled out more blank pieces--, "and these too." He slapped the remaining pieces of blank paper on the desk in front of Bella and made her blink.

"I hired you because you are competent at your job. You're not just a killer, you get information. What the hell is this?" Aro spat.

"I told you, I don't know. I got to the office, there was a woman sat at the desk--"

"Lauren Mallory," Aro interrupted.

"Yes. Then Mike had a gun, and he tried to shoot me, but it missed and hit Lauren, so I shot him."

"You shot him in the head and chest; a Coup De Grace. Why didn't you just shoot off his arm and interrogate him?" Aro asked, his face filling up with rage.

"He wouldn't have told me anything anyway. I don't believe in torture if it's not for a purpose."

"The purpose was to gather information."

"Information he was taking to his grave. He knew we were coming, or he knew I was coming. If he didn't want me to kill him, he would have left the office earlier, or he wouldn't have lifted his gun when I told him to drop it. He knew the score. He knew about the torture and the need for information. He's a dead man but he's laughing at us now."

"Bella, calm down," Aro said. Bella was going red in the face and her hair was sticking up slightly.

"I'm calm," she said and sat back in the chair, "So, what now?"

"Leave it to us. We already have Caius working on gathering some of the information. I'll phone you tomorrow. Go home. Rest." Bella nodded and got up. As she left the room, she looked back to see if Aro was watching her walk, he wasn't, he had his feet up on the glass and was talking into the intercom. It was a good job.

Bella left the building and got into her car. It took twenty minutes to get to Selfridges. She was having a bad day and was in need of therapy. Not retail therapy, but she needed to see her best friend.

Her jacket was unbuttoned and flapping as she walked towards the store, she crossed her arms over her waist so that the shoulder holster wouldn't be exposed by her flapping jacket. The wind was picking up speed.

Inside the store, she slipped past the security at the door and walked straight up to the first floor. Not very good security, she thought, didn't even notice the petite, pretty girl carrying a gun.

The first person she walked up to was Jasper. He was in his little cooking box, as she called it. Cooking some sort of fish. His tongue was sticking out in concentration and his hair was tied back under his chef hat. He looked cute.

Bella sat at one of the chairs around Jasper's cooking box and when he turned to grab some vegetables, he spotted her perched on the chair.

"Hey, Bella," he said as he grabbed a knife and started chopping some green peppers. "What brings you to my domain?"

"Your domain? It's a little box. A little cooking box," she answered. Jasper laughed.

"If you're after Alice, she's in a meeting on the top floor, I wouldn't wait for her though, she's in a pissy mood." He sighed.

"I was just after a friendly face, and you can give me a plateful of that monstrosity you're creating as well."

"This is fine cuisine you're talking about," Jasper retorted.

"Food's food." Bella grabbed a napkin and a knife and fork and stood in line with the five people waiting for a dish of Jasper's creation. He served the food like a pro and then turned to Bella to talk.

Bella took a bite as he told her about the meal at the weekend. "Mom's a great cook--Better than me."

"I find that hard to believe," replied Bella.

"If I had half the skill she has, I'd open my own restaurant, and I'd call it--"

"Jasper's cooking box," Bella finished.

"Not a bad idea, Bella. You could be the manager." Bella laughed. "What's so wrong with that?"

"I'm a sociopathic killer, Jasper, or so people say."

"Who says?" He asked.

"Alice." Bella felt a tear slide down her cheek. Jasper grabbed another napkin and wiped her eyes.

"Alice will be Alice. Don't let her get you down. I personally think you are nothing of the sort. A job's a job, so what?! Although I don't want another gun pointed at my face again, my whole life flashed before my eyes."

"How was it?" asked Bella.

"Boring, well, interesting." He didn't tell Bella that it was Alice's face he saw when he thought he'd die.

"Tell me."

"Another time," he said. "In fact, I'll tell you at the weekend, when we all have an 'Esme' meal."

"Okay, I'll hold you to it." Bella hopped off the chair and handed some cash over to Jasper. He tried to decline it, but Bella gave him her death eyes. He took the money without another word.

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**A/N: Give me some Jasper lovin'!**

**ahem, anyways....**

**Aro's a nasty piece of work. One of these days he's going to get his comeuppance...**

**Oh, and I'm going to make a complaint to Microsoft word. How can they not have Aro in their dictionary?! He's not happy about it...**


	7. Ch7 A Shock To The System

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to STEPHENIE MEYER!**

**Thanks for the reviewsies! Phew! Fast update!**

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**Chapter 7 - A shock to the System**

Alice's meeting finished at 3pm. She hurried downstairs to grab some noodles before she headed home. She planned to make Bella a nice tea because she seemed low. As she started to walk to the entrance of the store, she saw Bella talking to Jasper at his station. She smiled to herself. Maybe Bella will find love after all, she thought and left the store.

~*~

Back at the apartment, Alice was cooking away as Bella walked through the door. She could smell the different aromas coming from the kitchen, and the living area smelled strongly of basil.

"Italian?" Bella questioned as she went into the kitchen. Alice was stirring a pot of sauce.

"Yep, I'm trying out one of the recipes on the sauce bottle." Alice stopped stirring and started chopping an onion on the worktop.

"What happened to us going out with everyone?" Bella asked suspiciously. She could see the colour draining from Alice's face.

"Oh, Rose called me and asked if we could make it for another time. Emmett got himself into a mess at work and he's in the emergency room."

"Is he okay?" asked Bella in concern. "Will he make it to the dinner on Saturday?"

Alice put the chopped onion into the pot and stirred again. "He should be. The doctors think he sprained his arm, but they're doing x-rays just in case."

"How did he do it?"

"Ice skating." Bella raised her eyebrows and gave Alice and incredulous look.

"Ice skating?" she repeated and couldn't hold the faint hint of amusement out of her voice.

"He took the oldies from the care home, thought they needed some excitement. Of course, the other staff went mad when they found out. One of the elderly women had a heart condition, and the other three were in wheelchairs."

"He didn't get them onto the ice? Please no!" Bella felt the shock and horror of what Emmett had done, but it was being flattened by an odd sense of humour. She was trying her hardest to stifle her giggles.

"It was just Emmett on the ice...Thankfully. The other members of staff were discussing whether he should be struck off after his suspension." Alice went to the other pot--water was bubbling dangerously over the sides--and she turned the heat down and stirred.

"Poor Rosalie," remarked Bella, and she set off to her bedroom to get showered and changed.

Alice called after her, "I'll shout when it's done!"

In her bedroom, everything was deathly quiet and still, just like it always was. But for once, she didn't feel comfortable in the loneliness. Maybe it was time to take up a different occupation? Time to settle down and find a partner? She shook off the strange thoughts and smiled to herself. The field day Alice would have if she knew what Bella had just been thinking.

After her shower, Bella changed into some sweats and went into the living area. She was unarmed, but it was her own home. Alice came in with two plates full of spaghetti. Bella grinned and took her plate.

As they ate, Alice started talking.

"Bella, I'm glad you and Jasper are getting on so well. I always hoped you'd find a good man--"

"What are you on about?" Bella asked, horrified.

"Don't play coy with me, Bella. I'm your best friend, I know these things." Bella saw the glint in Alice's eye.

"Nothing's going on with us, seriously. We're just friends. Always have been, always will be," Bella almost shouted.

"You're protesting too much about it. And haven't you seen him lately? Coming here whenever he gets the chance to. He looks like a boy in love, Bella. I think you should give it a shot." Bella thought about Alice's words. Did Jasper love her? No way! Lust after? Possibly...Bella blushed at the thought.

"I'm going to feel mightily awkward the next time I see him now."

"Oh, and that would be Saturday. Pops is coming too," Alice said nonchalantly before she took another bite of food.

"Carlisle? When did you speak to him? He's definitely going to be there?" Bella felt slightly faint. Carlisle didn't know about her job, and she didn't know if she could lie in front of him as well as she could lie to others.

"I phoned him today. He asked how you were, told him you have a lot of homework to mark these days." She could sense the annoyance in Alice's voice and she sighed.

"I'm going to bed. Too many things are going on at once. My brain is like mush."

"Okay. See you later, or in the morning, or whenever you next venture out of that room of yours." Bella hugged Alice before she retreated to her room. She lay on her bed and willed sleep to take over for a couple of hours.

~*~

"I'm sorry, Aro. It's true. They found three bodies in Eric Yorkie's flat," Felix said as he adjusted the collar on his shirt nervously. Aro wasn't upset about the death of his brother, but furious that someone would have the cheek to belittle him in such a way.

"Find out who did this, and bring them to me." Aro was slightly shaken about what the mystery killer might have uncovered. People from Mike Newton's industries were dropping like flies at the order of his hand, and if anyone was to find out the purpose, the result could be catastrophic.

Aro turned to his computer that was open on a page describing the genome experiment in question. The disc had been taken from Mike's office, along with papers that authenticated his donations and involvement in the project. Aro was exasperated because he knew that if Mike Newton was still alive, he could find out everything about the project without having to bring in some of the scientists. If the scientists didn't tell him, he would be at a loss of what to do. His own scientists were working tirelessly to reach the advanced level of research achieved at Newton's industries, and without definite instruction, the effort may be wasted.

Just then, the intercom rang and he came out of his stupor to answer it. "Mr Volturi speaking."

"Sir, there is one Jessica Stanley here to speak to you. She may have information about the project." Aro felt a sudden surge of joy spread through his veins.

"Send her up," he replied nonchalantly. He had perfected the art of hiding his true feelings when necessary.

The girl looked no older than twenty. She was short but overwhelmingly attractive. Her dark hair was like a curtain of soft silk, her eyes bright and large in her small face. Her cheekbones were set high and she seemed to emit an aura of sensuality.

Aro swallowed back his amazement and filled his face with an empty expression.

"Ah, Miss Stanley, take a seat." He motioned to the chair on the opposite side of his expensive desk. "And may I ask what it is you want to speak to me about?"

Jessica smiled slightly, not flashing any teeth.

"I'm here to speak to you about the genome project Newton was involved in. I'm one of the first experiments, but it didn't go as well as planned."

Aro's eyes widened as he looked over the beautiful girl in front of his eyes. "And what makes you think that?" he asked vehemently.

"This," she said and bared a set of sharp, pointed fangs.

~*~

Bella woke up in the middle of the night. Her throat was dry and her head was pounding. Grudgingly, she got out of bed and dragged herself towards the kitchen for water and aspirin. After taking two, she started to walk back to her room, when she heard a sound outside--A scratching sound. She wasn't armed and wondered whether to go back for the gun, but then the phone rang.

Hurrying over to the kitchen phone, she picked up at once. "Hello?" she asked into the receiver.

"Bella, is that you?" asked the voice on the other end. She recognised the voice almost immediately, but then realised she must be hallucinating or in a strange dream. She pinched her arm, but didn't wake up.

"Bella? Bella?" asked the voice again. Bella took a gulp of breath and rested her forehead again the cold marble of the kitchen worktop.

"It is," she said simply, her voice hoarse.

"Oh." There was silence on the other end and Bella wondered whether to fill it. After a moment, she grew impatient and did just that.

"I know this sounds crazy, but you sound like a girl I knew. But I thought she was dead. I know, it's crazy, maybe I'm just tired or--"

"Bella, you're not going crazy. It's me, it's Jessica." Bella dropped the phone, and when she picked it up again, all she could here was the empty dial tone. She cursed under her breath as she called the number back.

"Jessica?" she asked as the phone picked up.

"Yes, it's me. I thought you'd fainted or something. I didn't mean to scare you--"

"I'm fine. I'm made of strong stuff these days," she replied but gulped back her confusion and fear-- Although the fear seemed to be growing.

"I'm waiting outside the apartment building; I need to talk to you." Bella nodded, and realising Jessica couldn't hear the nod, she answered.

"I'll be down in five." Then the phone clicked shut. She wondered for a second whether she should tell Alice. What would Alice think? She shook her head and hurried back to her room.

Wearing black jeans, a black t-shirt, a holstered gun and a jacket; she left the apartment. A sense of dread was growing in the pit of her stomach.

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**A/N: JESSICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Emmett!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**R&R!**


	8. Ch8 Another unfortunate Event

Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer!

Thanks for the reviews last chapter!!!

Someone will recognise one of the characters in this chapter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *cough*

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**Chapter 8 - Another unfortunate event--It comes with the territory**

"Changed your mind?" Edward asked the voice speaking through his cell. He was growing inpatient and pacing the rented apartment, almost wearing a hole in the expensive shag pile carpet.

The voice on the other side answered simply. "Yes."

"I'll be there in ten minutes." Edward shut off the cell and grabbed his keys. He didn't have to arm himself. He always was, wherever he went.

The drive was monotonous. Nothing in the view seemed to grab his attention and the best he could do was rifle through the radio stations until a bearable song came through the speakers. He had a CD player, but he never kept Cd's in his car. All the spaces were filled with more important things. Three guesses to what those important things are.

He pulled up outside the large white building. Too many of the buildings were large and white, or brown. The only places with a little colour seemed to be the restaurants and nightclubs. He had yet to peruse any of the tourist attractions. He usually did that when he was on a job involving the need to explore such areas.

He walked straight up to Tanya Denali's office after being told directions by a more-than-helpful secretary, with a few looks on the way. He knew the looks weren't for suspicious reasons. They were because of his looks. He knew he looked good. He used it sometimes--On the job and off.

He knocked on Tanya's door, and after a moment he barged in. He expected her to be doing something nefarious, but she was sat behind her black desk typing away at a laptop.

It was one of the most comfortable offices Edward had ever been in. There was a black leather couch at one end with a white rug beneath it. The desk sat in the centre of the room covered in papers and coffee mugs. And on the other side of the room was a large red silk bed. His eyebrows rose as he looked around, and the look on his face made Tanya Denali laugh--A deep, throaty laugh.

Edward took a seat on the leather couch without being offered and he put his feet up. Tanya looked his over and clicked off her laptop.

"Mr Masen, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," her golden hair cascaded down one of her shoulders in ripple or curls. Her lips were as red as holly berries and the rouge on her cheeks a candy floss pink. But she was stunning. That was just the face.

Tanya Denali stood up and Edward could see her full figure. She was thin but curvy in all the right places. Her blouse was the same red as her lips and her skirt was a charcoal grey colour. Her boots were red and came up just below her knees. The skirt stopped just above her knees, giving a sliver of peach-coloured skin. Edward licked his bottom lip and sat up.

Tanya bent over to shake Edward's hand and his eyes found themselves looking directly at her red bra underneath the red top. He shook his head and lifted his eyes to meet her bright blue ones.

"And you, Tanya." Tanya smiled and walked back to her chair, a slight swagger in her hips that had Edward watching as she walked.

"I'd like to discuss business with you, so if you'd like to take the seat over here,"--she pointed to the desk--"then we may begin." Edward sat opposite, and swung his legs up onto the table. Tanya bit her lips but ignored his lack of manners. "As I said on the phone, we will take your offer of two hundred thousand for this one. The last person who tried to drop her found himself decapitated. She's good, but I think you're better."

"Naturally," Edward replied and took a sheet of paper from Tanya. Her nails were painted red as he suspected. He scanned the picture of the girl and smirked. "Oh, this one is pretty, I hate having to kill pretty girls."

Tanya smiled. "Are you declining the offer?" she asked.

"I said I hate killing pretty girls, not that I wouldn't kill her. It's a shame though. Bet she's good in bed." Tanya's joyous laugh filled the room.

"Well, how you kill her is completely your choice. If you want to fuck her first, I'm not stopping you," she said.

"No, that's going too far even for me." He took the photograph and shoved it into his pocket. "Is that all?"

"Yes, but report back to me when it's done. I'd hate to see you fail," she said.

Edward paused at the door. "Is there a particular reason there's a bed in your office?" he asked.

"Sometimes I don't get the time to go home, so I sleep here. It also comes in useful if I need to persuade clients." The grin on her face was more seductive this time, and the look in her eye told Edward she was thinking nefarious thoughts. He shut the door to her laughing and shook his head.

He had a job to do.

The girl he was after was another one working for Volturi. She was called Heidi and worked nights at the strip club 'Erotic Dreams'. She was one of the waitresses.

He would have to improvise on this one. He couldn't just shoot her in front of witnesses. He parked his Volvo and walked down the street towards the club. The front was a bright purple colour with pink neon lighting spelling out the name of the club. The queue was fairly short and was moving quickly, but two bouncers were checking for weapons at the front. He hoped they were amateurs.

He ran back to the Volvo, slipped off his shoulder holster and walked back up to the club. When he got to the front, one of the guards patted him down half-heartedly and let him through. Once inside, he paid for a table near the back and ordered a scotch. He donned his crooked grin and scanned the room for the waitress he was after.

They all wore black leather bikinis with purple stilettos. Their hair in buns with pink feathers coming out of the top, and they were covered in body glitter. He looked at the photo quickly so he knew the face he was searching for.

The first act began and a woman came onto the stage dressed in a gold cat suit with multiple straps. The music blared and she started to dance provocatively, her hips gyrating to the beat. Most of the men were hypnotised, but Edward was still scouring the dark club for Heidi.

He finally spotted her up near the front, handing cocktails to a mixed group at a table. He stood up and walked over slowly. About a metre away, one of the men slapped her ass and she looked startled. He knew the rules stated not to touch the waitresses, and the balding man had just overstepped his mark. Edward stepped in.

"Hey! Who said you could touch her like that?" Edward asked the man.

"She's only a whore, geez man. Bet she gets more than that most nights." His breath stunk of whiskey.

Edward got ready to swing a punch at the man, when two of the security came over to talk to him. Edward stepped out of the way and Heidi came over.

"Thanks for that, I appreciate it," she said. Edward looked into her lilac coloured eyes.

"No problem." He looked at her and wondered how he was going to get her away from the others. But he didn't have to.

"Meet me in the back in five minutes," she said and went back over to the bar.

Edward went into the back. It was darker, but he was still able to see. A girl was sat on one of the boxes putting on a pair of silver boots. She was in a sliver bikini. She looked up. She looked startled.

"Who are you? What are you doing back here?" she asked and stood up. In the heels, she was almost as tall as Edward.

"I'm meeting someone back here." She gave him and incredulous look. He didn't want to say who it was, so he tried to divert the girl's attention. "What's your name?"

The girl smiled and held out her hand. "I'm Liss, and you are?"

Edward replied immediately, "Anthony. My friends call me Tony." Edward had two fake passports back at his apartment. One bared the name Anthony Allen, and the other was Edward Holloway. He never used his real name, except with the people who hired him. And then it was usually only his first name. The Denali's were the only ones who knew his second.

"Well, I'll call you Tony then." The girl grinned. Heidi walked into the back, and immediately Edward knew what she was holding behind her back. He dropped to the ground and a gun fired. He hoped the music was loud enough to conceal the noise, but he doubted it. He had seconds at the max.

His foot swept hers and she came to the ground, her head knocked against the concrete and blood started leaking from behind her head. He quickly snapped one of her six inch heels and looked behind. The girl he was talking to moments ago had been shot by Heidi's gun. He didn't have time to see if she was still alive. He fled out of the back door and never looked back.

The only thought buzzing through his mind was: how did she know who he was?

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A/N: R&R!


	9. Ch9 Save The World

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer. But this Edward is mine.**

**There is another surprise for someone in this chapter...**

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**Chapter 9 – Save the World**

Bella hurried down the steps to meet with Jessica. She took deep breaths until her heart was beating only slightly erratically and not like it was going to jump out of her chest at any second. If this was a trick, she thought, she'd shoot the person outside.

When she opened the steel door, fresh air and leaves whipped around her like a maelstrom and cleared her throbbing head slightly. When she looked into the darkness, she saw a petite woman standing in front of her. She blinked twice until her brain could process the vision in front. It was Jessica alright--Looking as youthful as she did as a teenager. Her hair seemed shinier somehow though, and her skin was paler than it had been. Her cheekbones seemed higher, and her eyes bigger. Had she lost weight? Thought Bella.

Jessica was smiling lightly and Bella couldn't find her voice to say anything.

"Bella, it's nice to see you after so long," she said, her voice had a more seductive lilt to it.

"I...I..." Bella gulped and tried again. "What the hell happened? I thought you were dead!" she exclaimed and moved forward, closer to Jessica. But Jessica took a step back.

"It's a long story; I've spoken to Aro and...May I come in?" Bella hesitated. Should she bring a girl that is supposed to be dead into the apartment building and then up into her home? Probably not.

"Sure, come on in," she replied and they walked up the steps. Once they reached the apartment, Bella realised she had left her keys inside.

"Is there someone else inside?" Jessica asked politely.

"Alice is in there, but she's asleep and I don't particular want to wake her up," Bella replied and bit her lip.

"I remember Alice. Sweet girl. Bit bossy. Good sense of fashion."

"Nothing's changed," Bella stated and felt the nerves creep in. Jessica laughed but stopped suddenly, as if remembering something solemn.

"Are you going to ring the door? I don't mind her seeing me," Jessica stated and shrugged, the expression somehow seemed graceful.

"I'm not sure. I'm trying to figure it out. If you're here under the category of work, then I don't want her involved. Then again, I don't know what she'd think if she saw someone who has supposedly been dead for around a decade turn up on her doorstep."

"Give the girl credit; she manages one of the biggest and most profitable stores for miles. I think she can handle more than you think." Bella thought for a moment and then sighed.

"Okay," she said and pressed the doorbell. After a minute or two, Alice's frame could be seen on the other side of the door through the small glass window. She was wearing her pink pyjamas. Bella held her breath as Alice opened the door.

"Bella, what the hell are you doing out..."--Alice's head turned to the other person standing on the doorstep with Bella--"Oh my shit." Alice's mouth dropped and she turned to Bella.

"Alice, let us in, it's freezing out here and I'm in need of coffee." Alice's mouth closed and she took a deep breath. Finally, she nodded and stood out of the way of the door.

Bella walked through and waited for Jessica. "Are you coming in?" Jessica smiled.

"Yes."

Inside the apartment, Bella fixed up some coffee for herself and Alice. She had asked Jessica if she wanted anything to drink, but she had politely declined. Her hands were shaking as she poured the coffee into mugs. She had to stop for a moment. Her thoughts were buzzing. She had no plausible explanations for the girl sitting on the seat a few metres away, but she was there. In the flesh.

Bella sighed and took the mugs over to Alice. For the first time, Alice didn't berate Bella for the dark colour of the liquid in her mug, but there were more pressing issues to attend to. Mainly the girl smiling opposite them.

"It's been a long time," Jessica finally said. Alice jumped slightly and Bella put her hand over Alice's, to calm her down. Jessica noticed the movement and smiled again, but there was an edge to the smile.

"It has," Bella finally replied. She turned to Alice. "Are you sure you want to stay for this?"

Alice scowled. "Of course I'm bloody staying!" she all but shouted. Bella sighed and turned back to the girl who was supposed to be dead.

"Start from the beginning. We need to know everything."

~*~

"Well, well, well," Aro stated. His voice was empty but seemed thick as it caressed the air around the girl, making her skin crawl and shiver. Ridiculous, she scolded herself, he's just a man. She tried her best to smile at Aro but it turned into grimace.

"That's what I saw. Heidi came into the room with a gun and the shot sounded, then everything went black." Liss started to fiddle with the tassels on her white, leather cowboy jacket.

"You do realise, that the information you have given me can be used against my company, and that is not acceptable," Aro's voice held malice. Liss started to shiver slightly. The shot wound had hit her shoulder and the shock had knocked her into unconsciousness. She had woken up hours later in a sterile room and felt much better. The wound in her arm was taped up with bandages. Aro had taken her out of the sterile room and up to his office on a higher floor of the same building.

"I-I won't talk to them, I won't tell anyone. I just want to go home." Liss could feel the terror wrap around her senses. She clenched her fists to hold back the shaking.

"I'm sorry." Those were the final words she heard before everything went black.

~*~

"Felix, make sure everyone associated with the name Volturi is armed and aware of the threat that is developing. We've lost three people. If there is another one, you better hope it's you, or I'll finish off your life myself." Aro heard Felix' response and clicked the phone shut. They were on the hunt for the assassin.

~*~

"James left me for dead, but I wasn't. I managed to crawl a short distance and ended up outside the brick building I now know as being Newton Industries. At the time, it was Mike's father in charge there. A man spotted me and called for help, they rushed me in and took me down to the labs underground. By then I was going in and out of consciousness.

"Of course, when I woke up, I was lying on a bed in a plain white room. The lights seemed harsh and there was a mirror at one end. It was a one-way mirror. I could hear the voices on the other side. I didn't think I should have been able to hear them, but I did." Jessica paused and Bella gave her encouragement to continue.

"What were they saying?" she asked with a sympathetic tone.

"They were arguing. Mike's father was there, and he asked the scientists why they did what they did to me. The head scientist...he said that because everyone thought I was dead, I was perfect. It was too late for them to let me go though. So they kept me in that place for ten years. Mike took over after his father. It was only after he died that I was able to leave. The experiments are still ongoing though, they need to be stopped. I told Aro about them and there was something in the way his voice..."

"Slow it down and calm down," Alice said and offered her hand to Jessica. Jessica declined the hand and looked at Bella.

"What experiments?" she asked intrigued.

"You won't believe me. You'll think I'm nuts."

"You and me both...now try me," Bella answered and gave her best encouraging smile. Jessica leaned forward.

"The research started twenty years ago, and it was the same year I supposedly died that they thought they had located the cluster of genes from the...from a species that makes them what they are...that makes them not human."

"Like another animal?" Alice asked and Bella gave her a look that told her to be quiet.

"Sort of," Jessica smiled. "They had practiced inserting these genes into undifferentiated cells at first, but they grew into mutated tumours—far from what the scientists were trying to achieve. Eventually they found that the genes needed to be inserted into already living creatures. Mice and rats were the first choice, because their genomes are very similar to that of a human."

Bella held up a hand for a moment and said, "Give me a sec." She then hurried into her bedroom and returned with a pen and a notepad. She quickly scribbled most of what she had been told. Then she ushered for Jessica to continue.

"They tried all sorts of animals, but most died during the transformation...until they got to me." Jessica looked wistfully ahead, like she was seeing something in the past.

"What happened to you?" Bella asked.

"I didn't work out entirely as planned, but I was mostly a success. You see, the genes they had allocated turned out to be of vampire origin. It changed me into a vampire...Well, sort of." Bella's pen dropped to the floor and her eyes widened. Alice laughed nervously.

"Vampires are mythical. There's no such thing!" Bella said, but the words seemed empty of meaning. There was this deep ringing in her ears, like alarm bells. It was like her body was telling her otherwise--telling her brain that it was possible. She shook her head.

"If this was true...I mean, the vampire thing--"

"It is true. I didn't believe it myself. But there are other creatures out there. The creatures of the night and moon, the fey...all sorts of things you wouldn't believe." Jessica stood up and Bella felt the need to run, but she sat still.

"I've never seen one," stated Alice.

"They aren't seen when they don't want to be seen. If you do see one, it is because they will it so; and then you're in big trouble."

"W-well, if I was to believe in all of this, then aren't you a bit too dangerous to be in my house right now?" Bella questioned, her hand going to the butt of her gun. She'd never met a mythical creature before, but she'd use the gun and hope for the best if she had to.

"I'm not a full vampire...I suppose I'm a hybrid. The scientists are trying to isolate the strength, speed and beauty associated with vampirism and make modified humans. They see a huge potential in it. Think of the money they would make in the cosmetic industry; the wars that could be prevented with that kind of speed and strength...I don't believe in it though. It's wrong. If we were intended to be some sort of super race, we would already be that. But we're not."

"I'm guessing they got you cosmetically?" Alice asked. Jessica sat down again and Bella eased slightly off the gun.

"They haven't got that far. They just dosed me with the whole vampire. I have the good bits. Speed, strength, beauty...but I also feel the blood lust. Being only half a vampire is okay though. At least I can go out in the sunlight without detection, and I'm not as strong or fast as full vampires. I can sustain myself on human food as well..."

"Aren't vampires supposed to live forever?" Alice cut in again, asking the question that was resting on Bella's lips. Bella had now picked up her pen and was scribbling away.

"They live indefinitely...unless they are killed. I'm like that, but I'm easier to kill. Shoot me and I'm as dead as if you shoot a human." Jessica smiled morbidly.

"You told Aro all of this?" Bella asked suddenly.

"Everything."

"What did he say?" Bella looked into Jessica's eyes and saw a hint of worry.

"He told me he would make sure the research is destroyed...but I don't believe him. I think his interest in the project is because he wants to be the head of the project, wants to create his own master race. I can't be completely certain, but that's how he makes me feel."

"He is quite a bastard, but I don't see him doing something so...farfetched," Bella said and hesitated before closing her notepad.

"I'm here to warn you, Bella. Don't let him drag you into this; it's not safe what he's planning. It's not the sort of thing you want to be an associate in."

"I..."

"Bella, get out of it." Bella nodded but didn't speak to Jessica. She led her to the door and saw her out. Once she was back in the flat, Alice almost pounded her.

"Why didn't you tell me about this? Why do you always go and get yourself into sticky situations?"

Bella sighed before she spoke, "This is the reason I keep you out of everything, Alice. It's safer for you. And this situation is a little more than 'sticky'." Alice went back to her bedroom and slammed the door behind her.

Back in her own room, all Bella could think about was what Jessica had said last. _Get out of it_. But she couldn't. She had murdered Mike herself. If Aro was planning something monstrous, she had to stop him. No ifs or buts. She had to.

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**A/N: R&R**

**Not long until Ed meets Bella now xE**


	10. Ch10 Belligerence

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer**

**thanks for the reviews last chapter! Let's get this show on the road!**

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**Chapter 10 - Belligerence**

"Coffee?" The waitress asked Edward as he sat in an empty bar stool in front of the tanned, blonde girl who looked no older than seventeen.

"Black, two sugars," he replied and opened the newspaper that had been left on the wooden surface near the till. He skimmed the pages, and after finding nothing interesting, set it down again. By this time, the girl had made his coffee and he took it with a quick 'thanks'. The girl flushed and left him to it.

As he drank the not-too-bad coffee, he got out his phone and to send an email to Tanya Denali. He had to find out how Heidi had known about him, and the first place to start was with the blonde siren who had hired him.

"We need to talk," was all he wrote. He sent the email, finished his coffee and paid, leaving a tip as he left. Back in the Volvo, the buzz of his phone let him know Tanya had replied.

"Two hours. My office." He sent a quick reply stating that he'd be there, and then he drove off to his apartment.

He hit the familiar street and started to drive down it. There was little traffic, which was strange. It was nearly lunch time. He wondered where everyone was and decided to park up outside a dilapidated building. He got out of the confines of the Volvo and stepped out onto the street, nearly running into a girl running down the street. He muttered his apologies and shook his head. His paranoia was getting the better of him. He stepped back into the Volvo and drove to his apartment.

~*~

"Bella, have you got anything on today?" Alice asked as she knocked on Bella's bedroom door. Bella shot out of the bed and rested her fingers on the barrel of a gun before she answered.

"No." She left it at that. Alice was about as involved with Bella's work as she was going to be. It wasn't Alice's place to know anything about the job. Alice wasn't a fighter or a shooter or a killer. She was going to stay that way.

Bella did plan to go out today. She was going to see Aro Volturi, and then meet Jessica.

"Oh good! Well, I think we should go out tonight--Just me and you...and maybe Jasper. I'll ask him if he wants to though...I'll see you later, Bella." Bella groaned. The last thing on her mind was going to a club, but if she wanted to hold back any further suspicions from her best friend, sister and flatmate; she was going to have to go partying.

After Alice had left the apartment, Bella got dressed and armed. Then she set off on her personal mission.

Sat in her car near Central Park and facing a large gothic-style church, she phoned Volturi.

"Hello, Gianna? This is Bella. I would like to see Aro today if that is at all possible?" She used her politest voice.

"Aro is fully booked, but I'll see if I can make room for you somewhere. Hold on a sec." The phone went to some strange music that Bella tried to tune out. Instead, she looked at the church opposite and her thoughts were thrown to vampires. She realised she knew nothing about them. Jessica would know, she thought. Suddenly, Gianna's light voice was back on and speaking.

"He can see you in thirty minutes. If not, you'll have to wait until tomorrow—"

"No, that's fine. Thirty minutes. Okay." Bella hung up and started the car again.

Outside the familiar, expensive-looking building, Bella parked up and picked up her phone. There was just one other thing she needed to do before she went into the building.

"Jessica? I'm going to leave the phone on so you can listen into the conversation. Okay." She tucked the phone into the pocket of her light jacket and got out of the car. The air was harsher today, and colder. Crossing her arms over her chest, she walked into the building she hated so much, but seemed to find herself in more and more often.

Gianna was at the desk. She looked up and smiled at Bella before ushering her towards Aro's office. Bella followed Gianna inside after Aro had shouted them in, and she took the comfortable seat opposite Aro.

"Bella, to what do I owe the pleasure?" his voice was light but mocking.

"I've got a few questions. I'd like to speak to you alone." She let her gaze rest on Gianna for a moment, before returning to Aro.

"Of course, Gianna, go." Gianna let out a huff and left the room.

"So, Bella, what seems to be the problem?" Bella was suddenly at a loss for words and didn't have a clue how to go about starting. She didn't want to let him know that she knew about the vampire genetics, but she wanted to see how much he was willing to tell her. She wanted to know if he was trustworthy.

"Why were the pieces of paper blank in Mike Newton's office? And don't bullshit me this time." Her voice was confident. Aro's lips curved into a delighted smile. Needless to say, it didn't reach his eyes, and probably not his heart.

"And what makes you suddenly adamant on this particular topic, Swan?" She crossed her legs whilst realising Aro's certain avoidance of answering her question.

"I'm wondering how Newton could have possibly known I'd be there, and how his office was deemed empty. There was only one person who knew when I would go in there, and that person is you."

"Maybe, Swan, you should look to think of the other companies and agents who could easily have gathered this information?" His tone was filled with derision which angered Bella.

"As far as I know, there are two such companies in the immediate area. One of them is this one; the other is far more reputable." Her words slipped out before she could control her thoughts. The other company she knew existed was on a par with Volturi, until now—if Aro was jeopardising the safety of the people he hired--beyond the norm. Aro's face hardened, but was replaced quickly by feigned disinterest, although his discomfort with the situation was palpable.

"If you think so, why are you here? Why are you killing people for me? Why, why, why?" Bella couldn't answer that. Some strange part of her had trusted Aro, which is why she worked for him, that and the fact that she believed that Mike Newton was guilty of some particularly immoral deeds—and he was. She sighed and put her hands up, a gesture she used in place of a shrug. The conclusions she had come to about Aro were currently suspicions with no concrete evidence. Saying what she thought and knew could be detrimental for her. Pausing, she realised he still hadn't answered the first question.

"Did you warn Newton though; and the papers--Did you get them?"

"I got the papers," he answered, smiling in a way that made Bella nervous. She realised he had answered both questions by that simple statement, without saying it outright.

"Why did you do it?"

"I wanted to see how good you were." The statement caught Bella. She hesitated and a look of astonishment swept over her features.

"A-and was I good?" she replied, trying to study the expression on his face cynically.

"You were better."

Bella got out of the office as fast as she could. She drove down through the streets until she came to a small cafe where she agreed to meet Jessica. Her cell was still on call. She cancelled it after saying 'bye' to Jessica, and she walked inside the small cafe.

Jessica was already sat at a table. A cup in front of her and toast on a plate.

"You get the whole thing?" Bella asked her.

"Yes. He's up to something. He wants the company...and I think he's found himself a nice little weapon to help him." Jessica looked anxiously back at Bella.

"Me," Bella replied gravely.

"Yes, you." Jessica raised the cup to her mouth, her eyes unreadable as she looked at Bella across the table.

~*~

"Edward, how lovely to see you," Tanya spoke as he walked through the door. He sat in the chair on the other side of her desk with a look of determination etched into his features.

"Tanya, let's cut to the chase." This made Tanya laugh.

"Okay hunny bun, shoot...But not literally. Ha ha!"

"First: don't call me that, and second: I need to know how Heidi knew I was coming for her." Tanya gave him a perplexed look before speaking, her tone indicating her domineering nature.

"Let me start where I want to start, Edward. My office. My terms." She moved the papers from her desk and placed them into a drawer before she continued--, "Heidi is dead, so you'll get your money. The authorities won't get involved because there were no witnesses and her heel had broken. They think she fell when it snapped...nice touch."

"The other girl?" Edward asked, remembering the one who had been shot.

"Other girl? I didn't know about another girl. Did you kill someone else?" she asked bemused.

"No. Heidi shot a girl in the back...her name was...Liss. I didn't know if she was dead or not, but surely there would've been some sort of investigation? Heidi had a gun—"

"There was no gun on the scene, Edward--And no other girl. Someone got there before the authorities, and I think that explains a little bit about the person/persons who knew your purpose last night. I believe the club was recently purchased by a Felix Garroway. This Felix has no known history of existence on any of the files I've pulled up. Although there was a Felix strongly connected to Volturi. Maybe this is the same person? If it is, it would explain last night completely."

"I have another question," Edward asked. "Why are you so intent on destroying Volturi?"

Tanya leaned back in her chair. A sign that she was caught off guard and didn't want to answer the question Edward had posed. He was inquisitive and would find out in his own time, but she needed to tell him some of it. Even if it was in half truths.

"Aro Volturi took one of my sisters five years ago. There has been no sign of the body or anything associated with her possible death or kidnapping. I was trying to find out more, and I have recently discovered he is trying to set up some kind of organisation to fund a personal project." She shifted slightly in her seat.

"The project?"

"Unknown." Tanya's discomfort with the direction of the conversation was blatant, so Edward was obliged to end the discussion.

"Thank you for your time, Tanya." Edward stood up and held out his hand.

"Of course," she replied and shook his hand lightly. She then sat back at her chair and bit her lip, holding back the tears that would flow if she thought about her sister, Irina.

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**A/N: R&R**


	11. Ch11 Declarations and Tribulations

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer! I'm just borrowing her characters and putting them in a whole new universe!**

**Thanks for last chapters reviews!**

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**Chapter 11 – Declarations and Tribulations**

After speaking to Jessica, Bella hurried back to the apartment she shared with Alice. She crept into the apartment and hurried back to her bedroom, where she took off her clothes and replaced them with sweats. The shoulder holster went back on though. Meeting up with vampires was enough to cause anyone to overreact, but it wasn't Jessica that Bella was afraid of. It was Aro and the sinister air that surrounded him whenever she was in his presence.

Alice returned shortly later when Bella was staring at the television screen, but not taking any of it in. Alice put shopping bags on the table and sat on the sofa with Bella.

"How's your day been?" she asked Bella with a look of concern on her face.

"Boring really," Bella replied. It had been anything but boring. Even last night's conversation was buzzing through her mind, and she doubted that even Alice would believe her.

"Well, I for one haven't been able to get last night out of my mind. I think you need this break tonight. If it was me, I'd have broken apart months ago. I don't want you to self combust on me, Bella. I care about you too much." The threads of worry were prominent in the cadence of Alice's voice.

"I'll come out tonight, but that's all you can hope for,"—Bella hesitated--, "And the gun is coming along too." Alice let out a small sound of frustration and left Bella on the couch.

Bella went back to her thoughts. She needed to find out what was happening behind the scenes with Aro. The only way that she could do that was to go undercover. But she needed someone at her back. The only one who could possibly do that was Jessica. Even then, she couldn't fully be trusted. Bella sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Bella, I'll sort out something to eat before we get ready." The light tones of Alice's voice seemed distant to Bella. She nodded her head and let Alice continue with her imitation of domestic bliss.

~*~

Edward was looking through the research he had pulled up about Volturi. He found that they owned five businesses around the direct area; one of which happened to be the strip club he had attended. After the death of Caius, it was obvious that all the workers and businesses would now be on high alert. He felt foolish for not checking all of this beforehand. Especially after the last company had infiltrated.

Information on Aro's personal work was, however, a mute point. There was absolutely nothing to show for what was happening behind the scenes. The only thing he could do was the two 'I''s—Investigate and Interrogate. He'd do both tonight.

He decided to choose one of the night clubs to check out. He'd locate one of the workers and then interrogate them by whatever means necessary.

He ran a check through Aro's associates and found that two of them co-owned the night club known as 'Macabre.' What a name to call a nightclub, thought Edward. He hoped tonight's events would be the opposite of what the name suggested. How about ordinary and pleasant?

He logged off his laptop, wiping away the traces of what he had been researching. Tonight he had to find Jane or Alec. Then the games could really begin.

~*~

"Alice, I really don't think I should wear that," Bella said as Alice held up the dress she had purchased a few nights ago.

"Just try it on. Please." It was the please that did it. Bella sighed and took the dress off her best friend. After a few minutes, she stepped out of her bedroom to show Alice. The dress came down below Bella's knees and was a tight fit, showing off her curves. The neckline was low and it looked fabulous on her. Alice's smile grew until she looked like she might self combust.

"Bella, it's gorgeous! It's amazing! It's--"

"Going back in the closet." Bella felt undeniably uncomfortable in the dress. And what's more—there was nowhere to conceal a gun. Alice's face dropped into a stunned expression.

"No, no, no. You're going to wear it missy," Alice said in a stubborn tone, her arms crossed and a look that told Bella she meant business. It was a shame Bella meant business too.

"There's nowhere to put a gun, and after the revelations of last night there is no way I'm leaving this apartment unarmed."

"No-one will recognise you for crying out loud!" Bella realised that now was the time to fess up to todays activities.

"Today I went to see Aro Volturi. I'm absolutely positive that he's using me for something. I'm guessing he has many enemies and also many motives, so if I do get spotted by someone, it's going to be a life or death situation. If I've got a gun, it's more likely to be life for me, death for the other entity."

"You are unbelievable! You are absolutely un-fucking-believable. Are you trying to get yourself killed you—"

"I'm just trying to get to the bottom of this, Alice. If it's so bad for you, move out. Leave. Go. I don't care anymore!" shouted Bella as she stormed back into her bedroom. Alice screamed through the door.

"Do you expect me to say something cliché? Like 'I will'? Because if you expect that, you don't know me very well, Bella Swan. I'm staying whether you like it or not." Bella let out an exasperated breath and went over to the door. She spoke through it.

"I don't want you hurt," she spoke through silent tears.

"Now you know how I feel ever damn day you walk out of this apartment with a gun and an assignment," Alice retorted and pressed her head against the wood.

"Dammit." Bella opened her bedroom door and wrapped her arms around Alice. Alice imitated the gesture.

"Love you, Bella." Bella could hear the anguish in her cracking voice.

"I love you too, Al. But this is something I have to do." She felt Alice nod against her shoulder.

After a few calming minutes, Alice finally spoke back.

"I want to help you,"—Bella went to speak but Alice put up her hand--, "Don't if or but me. We need to talk about this properly, and we'll do it in the morning, before we go to Esme's." Bella sighed and nodded. Alice was inadvertently involved now anyway. She would be dragged further into the situation sooner or later regardless of what Bella said or did.

"Okay then, let's get you dressed into something else." Bella nearly fainted at Alice's statement.

Thirty minutes later, both Alice and Bella were dressed to kill—no pun intended. Alice wore a tight fitting LBD with black stilettos with four inch heels. Her hair was streaked with bits of wash-out blue and the ends spiked with hair gel. Her eyes were covered in dark blue eye shadow and body glitter covered her neck and arms.

Bella looked just as stunning in her painted on black leather pants, black boots and red shirt. Her hair was in a high ponytail with the pony curled into ringlets that cascaded over her left shoulder. Alice had wanted to add some wash-out dye, but Bella had drawn the line at the smoky eyes and red lips. The gun was in a holster beneath the red shirt. It was going to chaff, but a little bit of discomfort like that was better than not carrying the gun at all. The only problem was getting to it. She would have to lift up her top before taking it out of the holster.

"Can you see it?" Bella asked Alice as she gave a twirl.

"Not unless you look really hard. The only way someone is going to know is if they feel it." That didn't make Bella feel any better. They were going to a club. Of course someone is going to brush up against her whether intended or not.

"What about security?" Bella asked. She had no idea of which club they were going to, and even then she had no experience of any of them.

"At Macabre they tend to only search the males or the suspicious looking people. Dressed like that, they'll probably let you straight in...But they might cop a feel." Great, thought Bella.

Alice grabbed her bag off the sofa and took out her cell phone to call Jasper. He had agreed to come. Bella didn't' know how she was going to look him straight in the eye after everything Alice had said about him crushing on her. She gulped and listened to Alice.

"Yeah, we'll find you," Alice said and disconnected.

"What's happening then?" Bella asked.

"He's already in there; he had to shout over the music. He's wearing a matching outfit to you, Bella." Alice giggled.

"I'll go change then." Bella started to walk backwards.

"Oh, he's only wearing leather pants. His shirt is white and he's wearing cowboy boots. Come on, there'll probably be loads of leather pants around. None of them will look as good as you in them though, your ass is going to be a killer." Alice's words made Bella blush.

They both left the apartment and decided to take Alice's car. If someone was going to recognise them, it would most likely be in Bella's Vauxhall.

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**A/N: Do you see what's going to happen?!**

**R&R!**


	12. Ch12 Macabre Night

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer...I'm just borrowing her characters and putting them in nefarious positions...**

**Thanks for the reviews last chapter! On with the show!**

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**Chapter 12 – Macabre night**

"Alice, I don't like the look of those bodyguards. Are you sure they'll let me through?" Bella looked again at the two burly men stood by the doors of the club. Five people were in front of Alice and Bella.

"You got into my store undetected, and Simon is a professional," Alice stated. "Now shush."

At the front of the line, Bella smiled genially at the two men. One of them seemed to have a permanent scowl, but the other smiled back and let her through. The music and lights hit her like a gush of icy water and it took a few seconds for the shock to dither and then flow away. Alice was next to her in an instant.

"What did I tell you?" Alice said boldly and pointed to the two bodyguards. Bella feigned a scowl and Alice laughed lightly.

The girls headed to the bar for drinks. Bella asked for something sweet and was given a cocktail the colour of Alice's blue eyes. Alice asked for the same and they headed to find a table.

The club was full to the brim of people having a good time. There was a dance floor with a multitude of lights beaming away. The stage at the front was empty and on a raised platform, and bars separated it from the dance floor itself. Neon lights filled the walls and lava lamps were positioned in the centre of each of the tables. At the far end was three platforms surrounded by bars, but they were also empty.

"What's the stage for?" Bella shouted over the blaring beats of the music.

"Oh, I'll show you after Jasper gets here." Just then, Alice spotted someone in the crowd and waved. The figure came over to the table. It was Jessica. She wore a skimpy white dress that had a huge cut-out section at her midriff.

"Oh, hi guys," Jessica said and smiled. She stared intently at Bella for a few seconds before dropping her gaze. Bella realised she wanted to talk privately somewhere.

"I'm just going to go to the ladies," she said and stood up. Alice nodded and started tapping her foot to the beat.

"I'll keep my eye out for Jasper. Are you going to sit down, Jessica?" Alice asked.

"I'm going to melt back into the crowd if that's okay." She made it a statement. Alice shrugged and Bella moved through the throng of people after Jessica.

The ladies bathroom consisted of four stalls with sinks and a huge mirror spread across one of the walls. Between the cubicles and the sinks was a large space that was filled with a black chaise lounge. Jessica sat down and patted the space next to her. Bella followed tentatively.

"What's up?" Bella asked Jessica, who was fidgeting with her hands. It seemed that vampirism still left some human traits in Jessica, Bella thought, although that could be because she's a hybrid.

"Aro gave me a proposition." She looked towards the over-sized mirror.

"When?" Bella questioned, unable to hide her surprise.

"Today, actually. It was after we met up. A guy called Felix spotted me and told me Aro needed to see me..."

She broke off, her voice sounding hoarse as she swallowed back tears.

"Jessica, what was the offer?"

"He said that if I helped him get all the research papers and specimens from Newton's laboratories, then he'd cure me."

"Cure you?" Bella felt the shock fill her eyes. "There's nothing wrong with you. You're mostly human, and you're absolutely gorgeous. Why do you want curing of that?"

Jessica looked harshly at Bella and took a breath before speaking.

"Part of being a human is being able to age and die naturally, Bella. It's also being able to give life, it's mortality, its imperfection...I want all of that. I don't want this." She motioned to her body.

"Did you accept?"

"No,"—Bella let out a silent breath she had been holding--, "Not yet, anyway. There's part of me who wants to be completely selfish and help him, and then there's the moral part of me who is trying to figure out the implications of what he is trying to achieve. A mass army of vampires at his every whim...unnatural killing machines...I don't know what to do, Bella."

"We need to stop him. We need to stop everyone from doing this,"—Bella paused before adding--, "Accept the offer."

Jessica gave an exclamation of surprise. "What?!"

"When you go into the labs, send the information to me first. We can forge other documents that seem plausible to give to Aro. Then we destroy the originals. I also need some blue prints of the Newton building...I haven't a clue how we'll do this, but we have to do something."

Jessica gave her a warming smile. "We can try."

~*~

Edward parked up in the parking lot behind the club. When he got into the queue, he noticed it was growing in size. Macabre was a popular nightly attraction and seemed to reel in the punters.

Whilst waiting, he wondered how good the bodyguards were. He didn't risk the obvious by wearing a holster, and he was dressed somewhat differently to his usual attire. He wore black jeans and a dark green shirt with a thick black tie that hid a thin blade. It wasn't good enough to kill, but it would maim and give him chance to run. Of course, he still had a gun, a small one that could be concealed in the palm of his hand. It was concealed in a custom made strap on his lower leg. Hopefully not having a shoulder holster would be enough to erase any suspicions about him.

The two bodyguards at the front of the club were well built but careless. After checking for a shoulder holster, they moved aside to let him through. He realised then that Volturi didn't know what he looked like, and Heidi was making an educated guess. Because she was no longer alive, his secret was safe, but for how much longer?

He walked inside the club and his glance skimmed over the bodies dancing on the overcrowded floor. He immediately walked up to the bar and ordered a beer. Sat on one of the stools and taking gulps of the cool beverage, he continued to peruse the club with his eyes. He wouldn't draw suspicion, he would merely look like a man trying to find a date.

"Another drink?" The barmaid asked when Edward had emptied his bottle.

"Yeah, why not?" he said cheerfully and watched the girl walk over to the far end of the bar. Her hair was a light blonde colour and her eyes a sea blue. She wore a pink shirt that accentuated her assets, and a pair of hot pants. When she turned around, the back of the shirt was embossed in black lettering that spelled out 'Macabre—it's chillingly good'. Edward snorted and covered it expertly with a deep cough. The girl brought him a beer.

"What brings a man like you here?" she asked seductively. She licked her bottom lip and leaned over the counter. Edward didn't move an inch; he just let one of his amused smiles curl his lips.

"And what kind of man are you assuming I would be?" The girl blushed at the intensity of his stare.

"Well, I assumed that you'd be taken by a pretty girl, not hanging around a club looking for one. I mean...it's not like you can't have anyone you wanted...I mean..." She blushed again.

"Maybe I just haven't found who I want?" he said back, a mischievous look in his eyes. The girl blushed again and wrote down her phone number on a coaster, then gave it to Edward. He looked once and then pocketed it. The girl was called Chelsea.

Chelsea moved away to serve another group of customers and Edward decided to move around.

Booths littered one side of the club, with alternating blue, green and red lava lamps on the tables. Most of the booths were full, but one was reserved by a single woman. She looked petite from where Edward was standing, and the streaks in her short dark hair seemed to glow under the fluorescent lights. He walked over.

"Hey there," he said, still standing. The girl looked up and after a moment, smiled back.

"Hey," she said back. Edward noticed there were two cocktails on the table.

"Waiting for a friend?" He sat down opposite her without being asked, but her tolerance of him let him know that she was okay with that fact.

"Yeah, she went to the toilet a few minutes ago, but she hasn't come back yet. I was just about to go and look for her when—"

"When I showed up?" Edward guessed. The girl nodded and grinned. She extended her dainty hand across the table, her nails vivid with her dark polish.

"I'm Alice," she said. Edward took her hand and shook it lightly.

"Edward," he replied.

Alice's lips pursed into an 'o' shape and Edward's gaze followed hers in the direction they were looking. Another male was approaching the table wearing leather pants and cowboy boots, he even had a cowboy had on. Edward wondered for a moment whether this man was a stranger or someone Alice knew, but her sudden laughter led him to believe the latter.

The male looked apprehensive; he scowled and then let it wash from his face, replaced by a warm and friendly smile.

"Edward, this is Jasper, one of my friends." Jasper looked at Alice as she spoke, clear adoration in his face. "And Jasper, this is Edward." Edward nodded to Jasper who gave him a speculating look, then he sat on the same side of the booth as Alice--diagonal from Edward and out of his direct eye contact.

"Where's Bella tonight?" Jasper asked Alice, seeming to avoid Edward's gaze. Alice's smile widened and Edward realised something mediocre that was happening between these strangers he was sitting opposite. But he waited for his hunch to be confirmed.

His eyes went over the dance floor again, and this time he spotted an attractive female split from another, underdressed girl. Then the striking brunette started walking towards him. She wore tight leather pants, boots and a shirt. Her luscious body was completely covered, but the tight fit of everything left little to the imagination. Her eyes were sexy and daring and she had a full mouth, begging to be kissed.

"Bella, where the hell have you been?" Alice asked with an accusatory look on her face. Edward looked back at Bella who looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Queue," she muttered and sat down, her gaze only just noticing Edward. "Who's this?" she asked and bit her lip lightly.

"Edward," Alice said enthusiastically before diverting her attention to Jasper. Edward took a gulp of beer and the table fell into silence, although it wasn't entirely uncomfortable. Edward watched Alice flit her gaze between Bella and Jasper. Bella kept her eyes to the table, obviously avoiding eye contact with Jasper. Edward's inkling was confirmed. Alice thought Bella and Jasper should get together, but Jasper seemed more inclined to Alice. Edward suppressed the laugh he so badly wanted to let out at the awkward, yet easily solved situation. He felt it wasn't his place to say anything. Not yet. He was an intruding stranger right now.

"So, I said I'd show Bella what the stage was for," Alice said suddenly to no one in particular. Edward had not thought about the empty stage before, but he too was intrigued. Jasper stood up to let Alice out of the booth, his eyes focused intently at her every movement. If that isn't a man in love, though Edward, then what was?

Bella stood up gingerly and took hold of Alice's arm. Both girls walked away slowly and Edward seized the moment to speak to Jasper.

"You should tell the girl how you feel." Jasper's eyes widened slightly. "It can't hurt."

Jasper hesitated before he spoke, "I plan too, just not yet."

"Alice thinks you like Bella," he added before taking another mouthful of beer. Jasper shook his head and laughed.

"That's absurd," he said.

"That it is," replied Edward and they fell silent, their gazes going back to the two girl who had made it up to the bar and were talking to Chelsea. Edward had no idea what they were saying. In a silent room he would struggle, but the blaring beats made it completely impossible to know.

~*~

"It better not be something embarrassing or..." Bella blushed.

"Or what?" Alice asked and Bella shrugged. "It'll be fine, let your hair down for a change...although, not literally, it took me ages to do your hair."

When they reached the bar, Alice waved her hand and the blonde curvaceous barmaid came over after speaking animatedly to a group of young men.

"Hey girls, what can I get you?" she asked and leaned on the wooden top slightly.

"How much is it to go up on the stage?" Alice asked and a sudden surge of horror ran down the back of Bella's spine. She turned to look at Alice and wanted to cry with fright. She couldn't dance, and wouldn't dance on that platform, where everyone can watch them. Chelsea gave a price, and it seemed like an awful lot of money for something Bella dreaded. She hoped Alice would decline...but she didn't. She even added a tip so she could pick a few songs from the DJ.

Chelsea passed Alice and Bella a pink card with a ribbon attached. The card said "VIP" on it in black writing and the ribbon was black to match. Alice put hers around her neck and jumped off the stool she was sat on previously. Bella sat still. The shock was still running through her veins like ice, freezing her in place.

"Come on, Bella," Alice said and shook her friend. Bella's eyes locked on Alice's with an intensity that would make any sane person cringe. But Alice wasn't sane.

After a few coaxing reassurances, Bella was able to stand, and she moved gingerly through the throng of dancers, avoiding contact as if it would cause immediate death. She wasn't ruling that out as an option to keep her away from the platform, not yet.

Jessica came up to the two girls; her body completely sweat free despite all the dancing. Her hair was so perfect that it looked like it had been airbrushed somehow. Impossible, thought Bella. It was the vampire genes.

Bella realised she had a ticket out of the dancing. She grinned and her body seemed to ease, as though the tension and panic had floated away as soon as it had hit. She took off the ribbon and put it over Jessica's neck. She was slightly cooler than Bella, but not ice cold. Her skin felt like it had been out in the cold a bit too long. Jessica looked at her perplexed, then realisation dawned and she grinned. Bella saw her say thanks, but the music deafened her.

Bella waved and turned back to Alice who scowled at Bella, but got up on the stage. She knew the look in Alice's eyes right now. The look said she would pay in some way. Bella shrugged and walked back over to the bar. The music and heat wasn't so intense here, and she didn't want to go back to the table with Edward and Jasper, not yet. She felt like she had failed, and didn't want to show herself in front of the two gorgeous men. One of whom happened to have a crush on her, according to Alice, but Bella couldn't see it herself.

She ordered a pina colada and turned back to the platform when the music changed into a beat she knew all too well. Both Alice and Jessica had climbed over the bars and were dancing to the beat as if their lives depended on it. Both of them looked amazing, she couldn't take her eyes away. In part, she was glad she didn't get up there after them, she would be the odd one out, and judging by the male—and female—attention they were getting, Bella would probably faint from all of the attention.

After the second dance, people were coming up to the bar and asking how much it would cost to get up onto the platform with the two vixens, some were standing close to the bars and throwing bills at them! I shook my head and drank my cocktail down in one. I didn't usually drink, and my head seemed to spin for a second before a regained myself.

"Go up there," the girl at the bar said. It took a moment for Bella to remember her name. Chelsea. Bella shook her head.

"Why not?" Chelsea asked her. "Just go up there, try it out. I can see the regret in your face. Shoo." She batted her arm playfully and Bella sighed and grinned. She could do it.

The crowd was pulsing with excitement and Bella manoeuvred herself through like a snake, until she managed to push her way through to the bars. Alice looked down, as did Jessica, both with matching smiles on their faces. They helped Bella through the bars and shielded her from the gaze of the crowd.

"We'll stay here for as long as you need, until you get comfortable," Jessica said and started to move her hips. Bella gulped and nodded. Smiling, she started to move her hips, then her arms, and the rest seemed to flow in harmony with the music. Two songs passed in a blur, and Bella was actually enjoying herself. She made a space for herself between the two girls, and they danced in unison, like they were telekinetically connected.

Move people joined them on the stage, wearing cards around their necks and rubbing up against the girls. Bella avoided them, and kept closer to the bars, to the front where the audience had gathered. She waved and received a few shouts before she slowly dipped low using the bars for support. Screams echoed around her, along with cheers, and her eyes caught the table where Edward and Jasper were sitting.

She lazily let her gaze fall on Edward's. His eyes glowed like emerald fire and she felt her heart skip a beat. That had never happened before, and she wondered what it meant. Was she suddenly having feelings for a stranger who she knew nothing about?

The dance finished and she decided to crawl of the stage. Jessica followed her down and they managed to get through the crowd without too much hassle. Bella's head was feeling mushy and she was glad for Jessica's help. On her own, she might have just fallen into someone's arms, or threatened someone if they touched her. At least it was safer for all with Jessica guiding her.

They reached the table and Edward's smouldering eyes seemed to burn into Bella almost uncomfortably. She tried to shake it off but couldn't. She chose to sit next to Jasper, whose body was a line of heat, but more manageable than Edward's.

Her gaze returned to the stage, to see Alice pull herself over the bars and walk back with a beaming smile and an enchanting air about her. Bella looked at Jasper for a second and saw the look in his eyes as he watched Alice walk. It looked like what Bella had felt up on the platform. It looked like an intense fire or burning lust. Bella had just realised something. It wasn't her that Jasper wanted; it was Alice who was oblivious to the obvious.

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**A/N: Send me some love...Or maybe just a review!**

**I've gone deaf in one ear, but luckily that doesn't stop me from reading and writing! hehe...**


	13. Ch13 Meticulous Negligence

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie MEYER!!!**

**Thanks for the reviews last chapter, and sorry this took so long to get out ;D I've been working on an original story idea.**

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**Chapter 13 – Meticulous Negligence**

"That Edward character was nice, wasn't he?" Alice asked as she flitted around the kitchen making coffee and toast on Saturday morning. She still had that bright shine about her. Last night had really made her feel better. And Bella too.

"Mhm," Bella responded, not trusting her voice just yet. Her thoughts were of that same person. After the stage frolics, they had all sat and chatted for a while, before going their separate ways, but not without phone numbers.

"And you, Bella, you were like...an animal up there!" Alice laughed. Bella found herself frowning, and her head was pounding. Two cocktails and a beer had done that to her. Her thoughts went back to a certain pair of emerald eyes, particularly when they flamed with heat in that single moment on stage.

There was suddenly a knock at the door that instantly erased Bella's headache and tiredness. She sprinted to her bedroom, grabbed a gun and came out just as Alice was opening the door. She held her breath and shook away the lingering thoughts of Edward.

"Hi guys," a light voice said, and Bella saw the familiar features of Jessica. She let out the breath she had been holding and lowered the gun. Once she felt comfortable enough, she put it on the table.

"Hi Jess," Alice said and opened the door wide, allowing Jessica to come into the apartment. Suddenly, something clicked in Bella's mind.

"Don't vampires need inviting in?" she asked and raised her eyebrows at Jessica who grinned mischievously.

"That they do." She walked across the room and sat on the sofa.

"Is it one of the things that you didn't inherit?" Alice interrupted.

"No, I got it alright." Again, she smiled.

"It was me, wasn't it? I let you in a few nights ago," Bella answered and Jessica nodded. "What happens now? How do we get rid of you?" Jessica's mouth dropped open.

"Bella!" Alice shouted.

"What? It's just so I know--if I need to. Don't take this the wrong way, but you unnerve me. Maybe it's my instincts telling me that you could be a predator, but I'd like to know that you can't just sneak into my home when I'm sleeping."

"You revoke my invitation," Jessica answered.

"What do I have to say?" Alice was shaking her head at Bella.

"You want to try it out?" Bella nodded. "And here I was thinking we were friends, Bella Swan."

"Don't take it personally; I'd do it to Alice if I thought she was a vampire." Jessica sighed and nodded.

"Just say my name and then say 'I revoke your invitation'. Oh, and I'm a dhampire, not a vampire. I'm still half human," Jessica said, her voice like ice as she stood up and started to leave.

"Where the hell are you going?" Alice asked and Jessica gave a nonchalant shrug.

"Somewhere I can be trusted, maybe," she responded, but her gaze lingered on Bella, a hostile look.

"Oh for the love of god, sit down," Bella said with an air of frustration. Jessica looked at Alice who seemed as confused as she was. After another moment, Jessica sighed and sat herself back on the sofa. "Now we can talk strategy," Bella stated. Alice's eyes widened behind her in astonishment and Jessica's look of bewilderment increased in intensity. Bella flattened the butterflies in her stomach before speaking.

"It's okay, I said I'd involve Alice and that's what I'm going to do. But we have to have some rules for this,"—both the girls nodded but the surprise was still evident on their faces--, "Rule number one: Only speak about what we are doing to the other two. Rule number two: Only speak about it in the apartment. Rule number three: Don't get caught." Bella looked bleakly from Jessica to Alice.

"Okay. Tell me what's going on then," Alice said in an indicting tone, seemingly unfazed by the seriousness of Bella's words.

Bella told Alice everything whilst Jessica sat quietly and patiently, explaining points that Alice didn't understand because of Bella's rapid explanation and urgent tone.

"I wish I'd told you to tell me after the meal, now I won't be able to think straight." Alice shook her head unbelieving.

"We have to hold it together. You can't tell anyone, Alice. Not even Carlisle." Alice nodded and let out a sigh.

Jessica left to let Alice and Bella get ready for the meal. She agreed to phone Bella if anything happened before Monday morning. Her job was to get blueprints of the Volturi building. Even showing the secret layers that most knew nothing about. Bella and Jessica didn't know for sure, but there was a strange inkling in the back of Bella's mind that Aro Volturi's genome labs weren't far from his office.

"..Oh, and Alice—I'm getting you that gun," Bella mentioned between her thoughts in a serious manner as Alice headed for her bedroom. Alice didn't turn around to acknowledge the comment, leaving Bella to wonder whether Alice was ready for this. She knew the answer, it was an obvious scream trapped in her throat. Alice wasn't ready for any of this, but there was no other option. Bella doubted Alice would ever be ready for such a situation. Probably not, she thought and heaved a sighed.

~*~

After the girls—and boy—had left the club, Edward spotted Alec by the back room speaking to one of the husky bodyguards—even by Edward's standards they were huge. Paranoia set in and made Edward think they were talking about him, but they never glanced his way. He let his gaze fall away from the two men and he skimmed the club. Despite it being the witching hour, the place was booming. He finished his beer and headed for the heat of the room, managing to get himself deep into the crowd on the dance floor as his gaze flickered between the two men, waiting for them to act.

After several minutes, they left through a black door that seemed invisible until then. Going with the neon pink theme, the letters on the door said 'personnel only'. Edward moved through the throng of dancers until he was barely a metre from the door, positioned by the side of the bar. He wasn't going to go through the door himself under any circumstances. Volturi were aware of his presence—even if they didn't know what he looked like or who he was yet. All of the clubs would be under intense scrutiny and the workers would be vigilant. Walking through those doors without assistance may well have been a death sentence.

Two minutes later, a petite blonde came out of said doors, and Edward knew this was Jane—co-owner of Macabre and high up on the Volturi worker hierarchy. She was one of Aro's closest confidants. Bingo, he thought as he walked up to her and put on his best charming smile. In his line of work, he knew how to control his facial expressions like second nature; it could be the difference between life and death. No-one he had encountered had seen even a glimpse of the real Edward. The real Edward seemed lost years ago. But maybe he could come back? He let that thought linger in the back of his mind.

"Excuse me, have you got a second?" he asked and his warm, inviting mask fell into place. Jane smiled back in an almost overly confident way and he could see that she held malice underneath her shrouded front.

"I may have, what's the problem?" she said, her voice high and child-like.

He leaned in closer as he whispered, "Somewhere private, maybe?" Jane nodded and opened the black door she had just come out of. It led onto a corridor with many doors, all of them with gold plaques stating what they were for. The office at the end of the corridor said 'Managers Office' and they walked inside.

The room was small. There was a desk and two chairs, a cabinet and not much else. The walls were covered with framed pictures of people in dance costumes posing. Edward's gaze lingered on one of a double act. Both in black leotards that spread from ankle to neck. The leotards had pink stripes across the chest and thighs like scratches and the skin of the dancers' arms were covered in pink glitter. Both had blond hair, the girls up in a pineapple ponytail. He looked closer to see their faces covered in the same pink glitter, and their eyes enhanced by thick black kohl.

"Oh, that's me and Alec a few years ago. We went by the name 'Macabre'—nice touch, don't you think?" Edward nodded and turned back to the girl. She motioned him to sit on a black leather seat, and he did. She sat behind her desk and the smile on her face faded around the edges, telling Edward she was moving towards her business mode.

She put her manicured hands on the desk, and the bright pink of her nails seemed to grab Edward's attention for a moment before he lifted his gaze to meet hers.

"What can I do for you," –her gesture asked for his name, which he said after a moment--, "Tony," she repeated and smiled. Edward gave a condescending smile back. He glanced around the room, looking for hidden cameras like there had been in the club, but there seemed to be none in here. Seemed didn't mean there wasn't any, however, so he needed to be careful.

"It's a nice business you have here..."

"Jane."

"Jane." He smiled. "I'm a property developer by trade and even though this club doesn't need to be developed in anyway, it still seems to enthral me. I'm interested in buying this building from you." He let his smile continue into the silence as Jane's mask slipped slightly to reveal a hint of astonishment.

After a moment, she composed herself.

"It's not for sale." She folded her arms over her chest and leaned into the desk.

"And why not?" he asked in a derisory manner.

Jane hesitated and let out a breath. She smiled as an idea came to form in her mind. "This building holds sentimental value to me and my dear brother. You know how it is..."

"Personally, I do," he replied, thinking about his old home and his destroyed piano. "I'm willing to pay for that sentimentality," he added as an afterthought.

"It's a high price, and I would have to discuss it with my brother and...Attorney," she said. He could see the lie in her features. You would have to discuss the selling of Macabre with your boss, he thought.

"I see. And what about security?" he asked.

"We have cameras surrounding the outside of the premises, and cameras near the bar area and platforms. We also have cameras and sound detectors in the corridor we have just come through. All the cameras are connected to monitors in one room that is occupied by two members of staff at each shift. They operate for the full twenty four hours."

Edward nodded. He had worked out as much. "And the other rooms?"

She hesitated again before speaking, "Only two of the ten other rooms are monitored by cameras."

A lot of security for a single club, Edward thought for a moment. He had to find a way of getting her to tell him if there were cameras in this very office without making it obvious to Jane. She seemed intelligent and was so far managing to avoid telling the entire truth about anything with little more than a momentary hesitation that any other person would miss.

He leaned in to whisper, "You see, I also run an illegitimate business and if I was to use this room as an office, it would need to be monitored. I'm asking if I will need to fit my own security measures in this room, or if cameras will be provided."

"You're awfully confident that you can buy this building from me," Jane stated in an amused tone that hinted on acid.

"I always get what I want," he replied and pressed on. "So, does this room cater to my needs?" He studied Jane's face articulately.

"I'm afraid not. The other two rooms are the surveillance room and Alec's office. Those two cameras are connected to a different network, so if someone tried to take out the surveillance room or the electricity, neither of those would be affected." Edward realised that she had told the truth on this.

He also wondered why she had let him know so much. Was she cautioning him against trying to do anything to the club, or was she inadvertently telling him that Aro is much more intelligent and cunning than he thinks, that he was underestimating him, thus to go against him would be foolish? If so, then Jane knew who he was.

"You know a lot about security," he stated and tried to diffuse the strange sense of alarm that was trying to consume him.

"Let's just say I have a very knowledgeable legal representative." Edward realise she meant Aro.

Suddenly, the door behind him crashed open and Edward threw himself to the floor. The sound of a gunshot was ringing in his ears, and he wondered if he had been shot. There was no pain, but shock could override that pain for a short time. His gun was suddenly in his right hand and he leant against the wall. Two bodyguards were in the room, pointing guns at him. His only thought at that instant was, shit.

"Drop the gun, Tony," Jane said as she straightened up in her chair, not moved by the entrance of two men wielding fire arms.

Edward knew they would shoot him either way, so he wasn't going to drop anything he had that might help him get out alive. His own gun was pointed towards the electric light. The humming of its filament seemed to be the only sound in the tense room, apart from the ringing in Edward's ears.

Without giving anyone any chance to think, he shot at the light and leapt towards the cabinet away from the pointed guns. The shots missed his body because of the distraction caused by the loss of light. Who's afraid of the dark? He thought as he crawled around the desk, his eyes adjusting much faster than the others. He had excellent night vision, and the loss of light gave him an advantage.

He saw Jane in front of him. She was stood up facing the opposite way. He saw an opportunity and grabbed it. He was up and had one arm around her neck with the gun pointed at her head before she could comprehend what was happening.

"Move and I'll shoot you," he whispered to Jane and then waited for the bodyguards to realise what had happened.

"Oh fuck," one of them said. Oh fuck indeed.

"Drop the guns or I'm going to drop this bitch and she'll go straight back to the hell she came from."

One of the guns thudded to the ground, the other didn't. He didn't really want to splatter brains all over himself, and he doubted Jane would noticed if the gun moved for an instant, so he aimed the gun at the guards chest and shot twice. The other guard tried bent to get his gun and Edward's shot at him missed. He shot again as the man came up. He should have shot from the ground, Edward thought and turned back to Jane. But she wasn't there. He'd let the hostage go and didn't have a clue where she was.

He waited for a moment to see if she was moving through the darkness, but no sound was made. She had to be in the room though, he thought, the door was closed and there was no other way out that he knew of.

Then a hint of silver reflected off the hint of light coming from the lamp that had been turned on. He felt the short burst of pain in his arm, but it didn't make him drop the gun. Jane had a knife. He grabbed at her arm with his free arm, but knew he couldn't restrain her with the gun in his hand, and he couldn't shoot her because she was keeping his arm at an odd angle, pressed against the blade.

He dropped the gun and used his now free hand to punch at her. His fist connected with her chin and he heard a snap. The blade fell from her hand and her body slumped and went limp. He ran.

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**A/N: R&R!!!**


	14. Ch14 Bad Timing and Bad Luck

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Thank you for the reviews last chapter ;) shoutouts: xparawhorextwerdx [may our wifey days never end], EclipsedbyJacob [because you didn't mind getting shot], Lady Dragona [Your reviews cheer me up] and to everyone else who reads this disaster, I'm being lazy, I know. **

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**Chapter 14 – Bad Timing and Bad Luck**

"Are you sure Carlisle knows the way?" Bella asked Alice as they got into her Porsche.

"Of course he does Bella, calm down your nerves, I swear your brain is wired backwards. More nervous to go to a social gathering than risk your life on a dangerous mission," Alice said and tutted.

"My brain is perfectly fine, thank you. And I get nervous on the job, but that tends to be overridden by fear and sometimes adrenaline. In fact, I think the fear is overridden by the adrenaline as well. Unless we are talking about Aro." Alice laughed and Bella pulled out her tongue.

The ride to Esme's was shorter than Bella expected. Alice may have generally been a law-abiding citizen, but she certainly pushed the boat out when it came to the speed of her driving.

They pulled up in Esme's drive. She had a fairly large house, due to her husband leaving behind a hefty amount of money when he passed away. Not only that, but he had no living relatives and legally, every last penny went to Esme.

Rosalie's red convertible was already parked up on the vast expanse of gravel at the front of Esme's house. No other cars were in sight, which could mean they were in the garage or the other guests were not here yet. Seeing as it was a bright, sunny day, Bella chose to believe the latter.

Alice parked up beside the convertible and Bella got out of the porsche first. They walked up the steps together and Alice reached the doorbell which was to the left side of the door. Esme answered almost immediately and Bella noticed that she seemed to be glowing. Esme wore a classy black dress and black stilettos and her make-up was articulately done. She looked like she was in her thirties, but must have been somewhere nearer fifty at the least. Bella had often asked her for her secret, her resounding answer was, "Laughter and more laughter."

It made no sense to Bella. Weren't people supposed to get laughter lines from laughing? At the rate Bella was going, she'd have frown lines.

"Bella, Alice, it's lovely to see you both! Come in out of that sun and get some drinks," she said animatedly. They stepped inside.

Esme kept the house meticulous with the help of only one housemaid called Angela. Angela had also been invited to the party and she was sat on one of the creamy leather couches talking to Rosalie.

As Bella walked through the house, she passed a few doors that were open. Esme's art room happened to be one of them. It was a plain room with laminate flooring—the same laminate flooring that spread through the entire ground floor—and pure white walls. Two large windows were covered in light cream drapes and in the middle of the room was an easel with a half finished canvas resting on it. The last time Bella had seen the art room, it had had a brown chaise longue and pieces framed on the walls.

"Esme, what happened to all your paintings?" she asked with concern. Her favourite one had been of a waterfall that seemed to scream of tranquillity. Esme had a way of bringing out feelings and atmospheres with her work.

"Oh, I sold them to a very eager dealer. He's also commissioned for some other pieces." She walked on and Bella followed, trailed by Alice.

The kitchen door was closed but mouth-watering aromas seemed to flutter through the door as they passed.

Eventually, they returned to the lounge where Rosalie and Angela were sat. Rosalie stood up as Bella and Alice walked back through and she hugged the both of them. Bella's eyes almost danced out of their sockets when she saw the dress Rosalie had on. It was a vibrant red the colour of a poppy and extremely short, emphasising her long legs. The stilettos she wore also seemed to lengthen her already long legs and Bella wished she had legs like Rosalie's. The dress also had V-neck that seemed to dip low, showing more skin than one of Bella's bathing suits would.

Angela stood up then, her dark hair curled and cascading down one of her shoulders. She wore a simple black skirt and black satin shirt but still looked just as good as Rose. Bella felt her head shake as she looked down at her own suit. It was one of her work suits that she doubled up as a going out outfit. Alice seemed to fit in with the other girls when Bella had thought back at the apartment that she would stick out like a sore thumb. It was Bella who was now the sore thumb though.

"So where is Emmett?" Alice asked Rosalie and Bella diverted her attention from her thoughts.

"Oh, he went to pick up Jasper, his old banger decided to break down this morning so he phoned me as I was about to leave the house. Emmett was driving in the direction of Jasper's to drop off some things at the care home so..."

Rosalie shrugged and Bella followed her and Alice over to the two couches. Just then, the doorbell rang and Esme hurried off to get it.

"So, Bella, how's the dream job going?" Rosalie asked. She knew about Bella's real job, but they were putting up the front for Carlisle and Angela.

"Tiring really," she replied and faked a yawn. Alice and Rosalie laughed.

"Emmett, Jasper...and you must be Carlisle, come in, come in," Esme said and Bella felt her nerves build up.

Alice left the room with Rosalie to greet the other guests, leaving Bella with Angela.

"What's up?" Angela said after a moment, and then took a sip of the white wine she was holding.

"Nothing," Bella replied, trying to keep the nervous edge out of her voice.

"Come off it. The nerves coming off you are giving me electric shocks. What's the problem?" Angela gave a reassuring smile.

"Too much." Angela didn't press her for more.

The dinner that Esme made had everyone full and satisfied. Most of the dinner talk revolved around the usual polite talk that people conversed in. Such as talking about work, family and recent events. Of course, Bella had to lie her way through everything, but the spotlight was usually directed away from her by either Alice or Rosalie. For that, she was thankful.

After dinner, everyone gathered in the lounge and Jasper made his way over to Bella who was stood with her back against the wall, out of the way of all of the banter surrounding her. She wasn't good in social situations; she preferred to remain in the sidelines.

"What's up?" he asked as he reached her.

"Nothing much. I think," Bella replied.

"That's not much of an answer," Jasper said and leaned up against the wall beside her, putting one of his shoes on the wall behind. Bella hoped Esme wouldn't notice and she also wondered how Jasper could have turned out to be such a slob with Esme around as a role model. Then again, she realised he could have been going against conformity in his own odd way.

"It's the best answer you're getting," Bella retorted. Jasper shrugged and changed the topic.

"That Edward character looked pretty into you at Macabre. He's a nice guy, too."

"Why are you saying that?" Bella questioned. Jasper smiled sheepishly.

"I've heard that you and Alice have your wires crossed on something, and that something happens to be me. I was going to let you down gently, but I don't know how else to say it. I love Alice."

To that Bella started laughing, a high joyous sound that left Jasper confused. The others turned their attention to Bella as she felt tears stream from her eyes. When she finally calmed down, she looked at everyone and shrugged.

"Jasper tells a good joke." Alice gave her a sceptical look but turned back to her previous conversation. When Bella was sure everyone was preoccupied, she turned back to Jasper. "You don't want to know how relieved I am."

Jasper raised his eyebrows.

"I like you, Jasper, but as a friend. When Alice told me you liked me differently I was in shock and highly embarrassed. And if you want some advice, I think you should tell Alice. She's not one for subtle gestures though, you just have to be upfront with her."

"I think that's easier said than done," Jasper said and sighed. "But we're cool now?"

"We're cool," Bella stated and gave him a hug.

When Carlisle, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie left, Esme cornered Bella.

"Is Carlisle seeing anyone right now?" Bella was taken aback by the question and after a moment she smiled.

"No, he's not. You should ask him out sometime," she said and winked at Esme. Alice walked in then, grabbing Bella by the arm and dragging her out.

She wanted to protest about the rudeness Alice was showing, but standing on the doorstep was a very tired looking Jessica. There was also something on her dress that wasn't easy to make out in the darkness. Suddenly, Jessica slumped forward and Bella grabbed hold of her. Jessica was muttering under her breath but Bella couldn't make out any of the words she was saying.

"We need to get her inside," Bella said calmly, keeping her nerves together. Bad situations were always her forte.

"Esme!" Alice shouted as she opened the door for Bella. Bella dragged Jessica into the house and into the light and she could see what she hadn't been able to see outside.

Jessica's front was covered in blood.

"What's the prob—oh my God!" Esme said as she hurried over. "We need to get her to a hospital."

"Jessica, can you hear me? Is it okay to take you to the hospital?" Bella asked her. Jessica nodded as her eyes rolled back into her head.

"Esme, call an ambulance and get me some towels," Alice said as Bella spoke to Jessica. Esme nodded and ran into the kitchen.

She came out a minute later with towels and passed them to Bella.

"What's wrong with her?" Esme asked as she waited by the door for the ambulance to arrive.

"She's been shot in her side,"—Bella looked up—"Esme, get away from the door. If the person who did this followed her..."

Esme shut the door and moved away.

"Bella, tell me what's going on," Esme demanded.

"Not now, not ever. It's better if less people know." Bella pressed a towel against Jessica's side with pressure.

"Alice, do you know—"

"Drop it Esme, not now," Alice added as she handed another towel to Bella. The sound of sirens prevented Esme from asking anything else and the paramedics came in through the front door. Bella moved to the side as they checked over Jessica and when they put her on a stretcher, one of them turned to Bella.

"You'll want to get yourself checked out, too."

"No, it's not my blood it's Jessica's." The thought made Bella's head swim but she dragged in mouthfuls of air to calm herself.

She wasn't feeling terrified or shocked by what had happened—she was outraged. She felt the weight of her gun under her jacket and smiled to herself. She walked out into the cold, dark night and watched Jessica get loaded into the ambulance. She turned to Alice.

"Go with Jessica to the hospital," she said.

"But—"

"Don't argue with me, Alice. Go with her...and take Esme. I don't want her alone in the house." Alice nodded and Bella walked off into the darkness, her suit covered in blood and her hair matted against the sweat on her face. She didn't care about her appearance though, she only cared about finding who had shot Jessica before they had the chance to do it again.

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**A/N: I bet you didn't expect that?! **

**Reviews make my days [and nights!]**


	15. Ch15 No Rest For The Wicked

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer!!!! I'm just playing around with her characters and I mean no offense to her or them by the situations I put them in.**

**Thank you for the reviews last chapter. Truly.**

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**Chapter 15 - No Rest For The Wicked**

The sound of the sirens trailed off into the distance as Bella walked through the night. She didn't know how she was going to find the person who had shot Jessica, but she didn't feel that she could sit around in the hospital and wait for Jessica to wake. Jessica was fast—faster than anything Bella had seen, but Bella doubted she would have been able to run with such an injury, and she had a strange feeling that whoever had shot her wanted her to be able to reach Bella alive.

Bella shook her head, trying to clear away the panic-filled thoughts. She had to concentrate if she was going to hunt. _No, not hunt_, she thought, _kill_.

She pressed herself back into the bushes that lined the road, so that if the shooter was still out, he would have a harder time trying to pinpoint where Bella was. The shot in the side was deliberate, so it was obvious that the shooter was waiting for Bella somewhere. And that somewhere was close if she was going by her instincts.

She heard a click that seemed to echo in the silence. Without thinking, she dropped to the ground. A rush of air passed overhead and she didn't need to be a rocket scientist to know that the shooter knew where she was. She rolled to the side and got up. She skimmed the area but all she saw were shadows and darkness. She had to find more cover.

Bella ran towards the buildings opposite her. She was a good runner, she had to be in her line of work. No shots were made at her as she ran, and it made her think less of her pursuer—Unless they didn't want her dead. _But why?_

When she reached the houses opposite, she ran through an alley that separated two of them. She quickly put the safety back on her gun and put it into her holster without needing to look, then she vaulted over a fence into someone's garden. She crouched low as she moved along the grass until she reached the next fence. She vaulted over that one, crossed the garden in the same manner and vaulted over the last fence before she started to run again. She hoped her detour would have confused the shooter because she needed time to think and she needed to have the upper hand if she was going to kill the bastard.

Her footsteps made clattering sounds against the tarmac as she ran, and she wished she hadn't put the shoes she was wearing on. Of course, she hadn't been expecting to run around getting shot at tonight. Yet she thought to bring a gun.

Bella ran into the car park ahead. There were a few vehicles dotted around and she headed for the white van, which she crouched behind. It wasn't the best place to hide, but it was better than being out in the open.

A shot crashed through the window and glass rained over Bella. She crawled to the back tire and looked under the van. There was someone crouched behind the red Nissan. She pulled out her gun and clicked off the safety.

Another shot rang out, but this shot hit the Nissan and shattered its glass like delicate china. Confusion swept across Bella's features. There were two people out there, one of them was trying to shoot at her and the other was trying to shoot at the person who was shooting at her. It didn't make sense and it made her less willing to shoot. One of them was an innocent participant. She didn't want to shoot the wrong person.

She never did have to make the decision though. A gunshot sounded and whoever was hidden behind the Nissan was now down. Bella could see the blood pooling by the wheels. She wouldn't believe that the person was dead unless she could see for herself. But she had bigger problems now because she didn't know whether the person behind the Nissan was her target or not.

Her gun was pointed in the air, and the sound of movement from behind her caused her to turn around, with her arms and gun moving before her body. She didn't want to blindly shoot, but if it was a case of her or the shooter, she knew who she wanted dead.

The shooter was a man. His gun was aimed lower than Bella's, only reaching her stomach. Bella's gun was pointed just above his heart, near his left shoulder. It would take her less than a second to lower it and fire.

The man looked slightly startled, but it was apparent to Bella that he had good night vision.

"Drop the gun," she said, keeping her voice firm.

"If I drop it you'll kill me," the man replied matter-of-factly, but Bella could hear the thread of fear behind the nonchalant front. The fear didn't make her think any less of the man, because she herself was so afraid that if she thought about it, fear would bubble up her throat and choke her. It would be inhuman to feel nothing when you have a gun pointed at you.

"I could kill you now before you could kill me. I'm a better shot than you," Bella said as she kept a two-handed hold on the gun. In the movies, people can hold the gun in one hand for an extremely long amount of time, but in real life, it doesn't work like that. Her arms were already starting to ache, but given the choice of lowering the gun and being shot or not getting shot but having achy arms, she knew her choice. The only problem with holding the gun was that her arms might start to shake, and then her aim would be off. _Please hurry this along_, she thought.

"I'd argue with you on that, but I believe you are," he replied and placed the gun on the floor with the safety on.

Bella stood up, still aiming the gun at his chest and she kicked his gun away from him.

"Is the other guy dead?" she asked, keeping her eyes on him.

"Yes," the man replied.

"Who are you?" she speculated. She could see the warm tones of his skin and the darkness of his hair but nothing else. Even if she had seen the man before she doubted she would have recognised him.

"Jake, and you are?"

"Don't get cute," Bella replied. "Who do you work for?"

Jake looked at her blankly, not giving anything away, like a professional would.

"Fine, we'll do it another way," she said and she motioned him over to the front of a black Corsa. As they walked, she picked up his gun and put it in down the front of her pants, tucked against the belly band. She found it uncomfortable, but she had nowhere else to put it.

He leaned against it and Bella kicked open his legs. She kept the gun pressed against his back as she searched him for other weapons and ID.

"You know, I should be enjoying this, but you scare me," Jake said.

"I'm glad," Bella retorted. She found a wallet in his back pocket and she pulled it out with one hand.

She found what she was looking for. Jacob Black, Private Detective. It didn't explain why he was following the man who shot Jessica. Bella wondered why she came to the assumption that Jacob wasn't the one who shot Jessica, and she didn't know.

"Who was the man that you killed?" she asked as she put the wallet back in his jean pocket.

"He was Garrett Evans," replied Jacob.

"And why did you kill him?"

Jacob hesitated. Bella pushed the gun barrel into his back further.

"His name was on the books, I was supposed to be following him. He shot a girl and ran, I gave chase. I wanted him alive but he was shooting like a maniac..."

"Why didn't you see if the girl was alright?" Bella asked curiously.

"I made a quick decision and went with it." _All heart_, thought Bella.

She backed off Jacob and let him turn around. She had her answers and she knew who had shot Jessica. What she didn't know was _why_?

"Can I have your name?" Jacob asked. Bella hesitated. _Why not? He's given me so much more_.

"Bella."

"Last name?" he pushed.

"No." She drew the line.

He looked down at Bella, and it was only then that she realised how much taller than her he was. She could see the grin curving his lips and he leaned towards her. She knew what he was going to do.

Her free hand went to his chest to push him back, and her gun went to his privates.

"Touch me and I'll blow it off," she said sternly, her finger ready. She was bluffing, but she hoped he didn't realise that. He backed away slowly and Bella let out a sigh. Jacob started laughing.

"I'll see you around, Bella," he said as he started to walk away. Bella wondered whether she should have given him his gun back, but she knew that it would have been a bad idea. Then again, she worried that Jacob might get into some trouble. She pushed her thoughts away. Jacob was a professional, he could handle himself, and she didn't even know him.

Then it occurred to her that because of Jacob's presence, Bella had not thought about other possible shooters. If there had been any more, then both she and Jacob would have been dead. It was a big mistake to make.

"Don't count on it!" Bella shouted back eventually, but Jacob had already vanished. She shook her head and got out her phone. She was going to phone Alice to ask about Jessica and then she was going to find out who Garrett Evans was and who he worked for.

The phone rang and made her jump. The name on the screen also made her nervous, but she couldn't understand why.

"Edward?" she said as she answered the phone, the night around her was quiet and the adrenaline pumping through her veins was beginning to wear off. She let out an involuntary shiver and started to run towards Esme's house. Her feet clicked against the ground again and she cursed under her breath.

"I know what you are," the deep cadence of Edward's voice ran through her brain. Her heart sped up and she stopped running and slowed to a brisk walk.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. Thoughts were running through her mind but she didn't try to concentrate on any of them, they would just panic her even more. She concentrated on the now, on the reality.

"Don't play games with me," his voice went empty, and Bella felt her breathing pick up. She was now scared yet it was only a voice. But the emptiness of the voice made her want to scream, it made her blood want to curdle. She realised that whatever he did was not so different to what she did.

"I wouldn't dare," she replied, letting the fear inside her seep into the tone of her voice.

"You're an intelligent girl. We need to talk and we need to talk soon."

"When?" Bella asked.

"Tomorrow," Edward replied and the phone clicked shut. _Tomorrow_. Bella didn't like the sound of that, but she knew she didn't have a choice in the matter.

She sighed. Her night off had turned into something she never expected.

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**A/N: Let me know what you thought of all of that ;)**

**This was so not what you expected, right?**

**Me and my sister had a good laugh over the gun down the pants business and the "I know what you are"**


	16. Ch16 Close To The Edge

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to STEPHENIE MEYER!**

**Sorry this took so long to get up, my sister had my laptop...**

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**Chapter 16 – Close to the Edge**

Bella took a cab to the hospital because Alice had the car keys. She wouldn't have minded, but right at that moment she was feeling jumpy—and for a good reason. She turned her cell phone in her hand as she fidgeted and looked out of the window into the light darkness. Light because of all the artificial lighting on the roads and dark because it was night, even if it the sky currently looked a little grey.

"You look a little pale," the driver said in a deep voice as he looked back at Bella through the rear view mirror.

Bella just nodded, not trusting her voice to not come out shaky and she didn't really want to talk about anything anyway. That was as far as the small talk went. She had never been good at it. She saw the irony of having a best friend who nattered for America while she preferred to curl up in a quiet room with a book.

When she finally reached the hospital, she paid the cab driver and stood out on the sidewalk. She then looked around, still feeling nervous, before she fished out her phone and dialled Alice's number, although she doubted Alice would have her phone on in a hospital.

On the third ring, Alice answered. "Bella?"

"Yeah, it's me," Bella replied, her voice more breathy than she would have liked.

"Thank god you're alive, where are you?"

"Outside the hospital," Bella replied, thinking that Alice shouldn't have her cell on right now, but honestly, she felt relieved.

"Me too. I needed some air," Alice stated. "Are you near the front entrance? I can take you to Jessica if you want?"

Bella thought of a thousand different remarks to make, but she kept them to herself. "Sure," she said and shrugged, although no-one around her acknowledged the shrug.

Bella hung up and walked towards the entrance, she spotted the short, dark hair of her best friend by one of the brick walls that was painted in the yellow glow of a floodlight. Alice turned as Bella approached and they walked inside the building together.

Bella had an aversion to hospitals. It started when Charlie died. Carlisle had brought her to the hospital to see her father so she could say goodbye before everything was switched off. Ever since, the sterile atmosphere has made her feel claustrophobic and panicky. Although some of the terror she felt could have been down to the last time she had stayed in a hospital with a war wound. She had been tied down with restraints for her own safety, but it still didn't make her feel any better.

This hospital was slightly different though. The walls were in pastel shades, changing the ambience slightly. But it didn't calm Bella down. She could still hear the beeping of machines and the squeak of trolleys.

"It's just through this room, Bella," Alice's voice resonated in her mind and she came out of her thoughts.

Bella nodded and followed Alice in through the door.

When she looked around, she saw that the calm, pastel shades didn't spread to the private rooms. The walls were the brightest shade of white Bella had ever seen and they made her feel nauseous. As much as she wanted to run out of the room, she knew it was cowardly and disrespectful. She needed to see Jessica and that was what she would do.

She walked towards the bed in time to the beeping of the heart monitor. Bella looked down at Jessica, whose eyes were closed. She couldn't see much of Jessica's body because it was covered by the blanket surrounding her. Bella's eyes went to the drips. The tubes disappeared under the covers and Bella imagined the needles sticking in Jessica's hands. She swallowed again.

"She's okay, Bella. The doctors are amazed at how quickly she's healing, but the most important thing is that she is healing."

Bella brought her head up from the bed and glanced around the room. Panic bubbled through her, overwhelming the nausea.

"Where's Esme?" she asked panicked.

"She left a minute a go to get coffee...You really are that bothered by hospitals, aren't you?" Alice asked with surprise.

Bella nodded, not quite believing that she'd missed Esme. If the bad guys wanted her dead, all they would have to do is shoot at her in a hospital.

Movement to the left caused Bella's gaze to change. Jessica was moving around restlessly. Automatically, Alice went over to the bed and put her hand against Jessica's forehead. Bella moved closer as well, although she didn't want to get closer to the needles or machines.

Jessica's eyes opened suddenly, and for a moment, it looked like she wasn't staring at anything, or if she was, that something was not in the room with them. Her hands pushed the covers back in a struggle of limbs and the monitor started beeping erratically.

A nurse ran in and pushed past Bella to get to the small clip that had fallen off Jessica's finger. She placed it back on and checked all the monitors and drips before she turned to Alice, ignoring Bella. Bella thought it rude, but Alice was the one who had been in the room with Jessica when Bella wasn't, and Bella did look dishevelled, pale and somewhat monstrous covered in blood. Luckily, her gun wasn't on show.

After a moment, the nurse turned her attention to Bella. She was slightly smaller than Bella, and thinner, but her breasts were bigger and her hair looked like it had been bleached to the colour it now was.

"I don't want you scaring my patient," she said sternly before moving out of the room. Bella just gave her wide eyes as she left the room.

"Bella, maybe you should go home and get some rest?" Alice added shortly afterwards.

"No. When I go home, you and Esme go home too. And besides, I need to talk to Jessica." Bella turned her gaze back to the girl lying in the bed; her eyes were pinned on Bella—lazy and watchful, like a contented cat. Bella knew the look had nothing to do with how Jessica actually felt and all to do with whatever drugs were being pumped into her system.

"You never stop," Alice muttered under her breath, but Bella chose to ignore the remark.

Bella moved closer to the bed and knelt down. She took one of Jessica's hands into her own and she shivered when her hand brushed against the sticky tape holding the drip into Jessica's icy hand.

"Is he dead?" Jessica asked. Her voice was strained and hoarse.

Bella nodded and some invisible tension left the air around Jessica.

"Do you know why he shot you, Jessica?" Bella asked as she reached higher up Jessica's arm, away from the tubes and tape.

"Close," she replied and coughed, desperation filled her eyes for half a second. Bella thought about asking her more, but Jessica looked as exhausted as Bella felt.

Bella nodded and stood up again. She glanced at Alice and then stepped outside the room. The air in the corridor seemed cooler, but Bella knew that was because of her own phobia and nothing to do with the actual temperature of the air. Alice came out of the room and shut the door behind her slowly.

"We'll wait for Esme and then get a taxi back to her house. We can pick up the car and then go home for the night."

"You're actually taking some advice from me?" Alice questioned, giving Bella a suspicious look.

"I am," Bella replied nonchalantly. She didn't mention that she needed the rest if she was going to be seeing Edward sometime in the next twenty two hours. She also felt that she would need extra firearms...but then again, a deep, dark feeling inside of her said that even then she wouldn't be safe.

Esme came back a few minutes later, holding two cups of coffee—although calling the plastic containers cups was something to debate about. She passed one of the 'cups' to Alice and then gave Bella an apologetic look.

"I know how much you hate coffee out of a machine," she said. Bella smiled and it seemed to make Esme feel less guilty about not bringing her a cup of the brown muck. Bella didn't mind, but she did hope she could get a cup of real coffee soon.

"We were actually going," Bella said after a quiet moment. "I'd feel happier if you stayed at our apartment for now as well."

Esme scowled. "I can take care of myself, Bella."

"I didn't say you couldn't. I said it would make me feel happier and safer. Besides, I have enough ammo to make Rambo proud. Call it a security blanket, but I'd feel safer if you were closer. They took out Jessica so what says they won't go for you next?"

Esme's complexion paled slightly, but her determined look never faltered.

"I'll come with you on one condition," she said.

"And that is?" Bella asked.

"You tell me what the hell is going on." Bella's face hardened.

"I'll tell you as much as I can without it jeopardising your safety," Bella stated. Her tone said that she wouldn't budge.

"According to you and Alice, I'm already in danger, so you can tell me everything."

Bella gave Esme a dark look. It was the look she used to try and intimidate people, but Esme stared right back at her with anger swimming through her eyes.

"Okay." Esme smiled in response and walked ahead of Alice and Bella. When they reached the front of the hospital, Esme called a cab and they piled in.

When they arrived back at Esme's house, it was almost three in the morning. The sky was covered in a black silk cloth with small glittering stars adorning it. Usually, Bella felt safe surrounded by the cloak of darkness, but right now, she felt the furthest from safe that she ever had before. It made her wonder if that was because of the events that had unfolded or because of Edward.

"I'll follow in my car," Esme said and no-one argued with her.

Bella sat next to Alice and put her seatbelt on. She heard the click of Alice's seatbelt and the engine started.

The roads were clear, which Bella was thankful for. She settled back against the leather upholstery and closed her eyes in thought. Images swam through her mind, and her subconscious selected the ones that she would look at closely and see.

She saw Jacob and his smiling face that didn't seem to fit into her line of work. She saw Edward's face in the bar and tried to imagine the cold, empty voice that she heard on the phone fitting with that face. Then she thought of Jessica in the hospital and what she had said. Close.

Did that mean that she had come close to finding something out about Aro? Did it mean that she had been close to dying? A worrying thought passed through Bella's mind and she gulped back the dread that threatened to rise, although she could almost taste the bile in her throat.

What if someone was close? What if the person in the car park was not the only shooter Bella had to worry about?

"Alice, turn back. Go back to the hospital," Bella said.

"What?" Alice asked in confusion.

"Just go." Bella's voice became sterner and this time Alice didn't question it. She turned down one of the streets and headed for the hospital.

Alice put her foot down on the accelerator and Bella could see everything pass in a blur around them. The light of houses and shops and lampposts mixed together to form some kind of psychedelic dream and Bella pushed it away from her mind. She felt her gun pressed against her side in its holster and it kept her calm. She forced herself into work mode. The worry vanished and it was replaced by a cold hatred. Nothing around her could permeate that hatred now. She was ready, but for once, she hoped her instincts weren't right.

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**A/N: R&R!**


	17. Ch17 Stilettos and Misconceptions

**Disclaimer: All things twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer...**

**Sorry this took so long to get out! Loved the reviews, as always! On with the show(down)!**

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**Chapter 17 – Stilettos and Misconceptions**

Alice and Bella ran through the hospital corridors, feeling like they were in some kind of strange movie—although they both knew that unlike the movies, one wrong move could have them dead for real. No fake blood that was probably tomato ketchup, no retaking scenes. One slip up and that was it.

Bella was very aware of this, as she was at every job she took. It was part of the package. It was why her fees were so high. One day, she might not come home alive. As much as Bella had accepted dying a long time ago, it didn't make her fear or panic dampen, especially now that she had Alice with her. Alice who was so a part of life and didn't deserve to die. Now she could see why Alice was so against what she did on a daily basis, and she was surprised that Alice hadn't gone mad with the worry. She pushed the thought back and kept moving. Her footsteps were much quieter than Alice's, but she didn't expect much different.

As they both ran, various patients, visitors and members of staff glanced back at them. None of them had a reason to give chase though, as Bella's gun was safely hidden from prying eyes.

Bella stopped running metres from Jessica's room and she heard Alice's footsteps slow behind her. She turned to Alice.

"Stay out here...and take off those heels." Bella waited for Alice to protest, and for a moment her mouth opened, but then shut again. With a nod, Alice moved back slightly and took off her heels.

Bella wanted to say something witty in response to Alice following her orders, but she knew it wasn't the right time, and besides, she liked to pretend she was professional.

Glancing round, she saw the corridor was almost empty now. She rummaged in her pocket and pulled out some loose change and threw it onto the floor in front of the door. It gave her an excuse to crouch down in case anyone was watching, and although it would alert whoever might be inside the room with Jessica, it would also let them know that the game was up, if they valued their life.

Bella thought back to Edward's cold, discerning voice and at the time it had scared her. She imagined what her face would look like right now, as she was planning the death of a possible killer. In most people, hatred is hot. It's a scorching pool of anger and rage. In Bella, the hatred was cool and empty. It had no meaning to it but it would prevent her emotions clouding her judgement. The cold would protect her better. She could understand Edward, because she realised that deep down, she was just like him. She wanted the thought to scare her, but it didn't. If she was losing her humanity, at least it was to a good cause.

She pushed open the door and waited for a rain of bullets. Nothing happened. The room was deathly quiet. From the angle, Bella couldn't see above the bed, so she had no idea if Jessica was alright or not, and the eerie sense of wrongness that seemed to fill the room made her believe that the latter was true.

_I hoped that I'd be wrong, damn it_, she thought as slid under the bed. It was the best cover she was going to get in the otherwise empty room. Looking up from under the bed frame and the mattress, she could see the indents on the bed, heavier than she'd expect for a single young woman.

Her gun was in her hand and pointed point-blank at the mattress and its contents before she thought of the action, but she stopped. Jessica might have still been in the bed and as much as she wanted to kill whoever was with her, she didn't want to kill Jessica. They were friends in a strange way and Bella believed that it was her fault for Jessica's current predicament. If Jessica hadn't put herself under the radar by making herself known to Bella, then she might not have been on death's door at that moment.

Before she could do anything else, a hand had grabbed her and pulled her back from under the bed. She was about to scream but then she bit her tongue, remembering that she was in a hospital and whoever had grabbed her would just shoot her and run. _Then again, he might do that anyway_, she thought pessimistically.

The gun that the guy—she knew it was a guy because of his height and size—was holding was pressed into her back so hard that she was sure she'd have a barrel-shaped bruise there if she got out alive. It was better than having a part of her blown out though.

"Who are you?" she asked, hoping she could get the guy to talk. It was a long shot but it might keep her alive longer.

"Stop talking or I'll just shoot," he said, his voice shaky. Bella smiled, glad that the man couldn't see her face. She knew he was new to the job because he was so hesitant. He was probably hired by someone not connected to the Volturi in any way because she knew they would have killed as easily as she did—if not easier.

Glancing to the bed, she saw that Jessica's eyes were closed. It didn't help her assess whether Jessica was alright or not, because she couldn't tell. _Get yourself out alive first_, she thought, _then help Jessica._

"What the—"

The hand grabbing Bella's arm had now let go and the barrel of the gun was no longer pressed into her back. She turned around and saw Alice stood over the man, holding his gun pointed at him.

"How did you do that?" Bella asked, although she saw the blood on the man's face and Alice's shoes on the floor.

"I knew there was a reason you told me to take my heels off," Alice replied, her eyes still on the man and the gun in a two-handed hold. Bella wanted to say the reason was not to assault someone with said heels, but she was grateful.

"Thanks," she replied, before she got out her own gun and gave the man her cold stare.

The man whimpered and it confirmed to Bella that he was a random thug that she wouldn't be able to trace back to the Volturi, but then again, most people crack under pressure.

"Who sent you?" Bell asked shortly and the man looked to the ground. "Tell me who sent you and I'll let you go."

The man looked up hopefully, but his expression changed and he shook his head. "No, man. They said they'd kill me."

Bella sighed and clicked the safety off on her gun. She could almost see the tension increase in the man—almost.

"And what makes you think I won't?" she whispered coldly, making herself smile whilst her expression was so dark. She knew it made her look more evil, and at that moment she counted on it. She pressed the barrel against the front of the man's head.

He was visibly shaking now and Bella wondered what Alice was thinking of the situation, but she didn't divert her attention. She could deal with Alice later.

"I'll tell you what, you tell me everything you know and I'll let you go. Get out of state, change your name and get a job in a fast food joint somewhere," Bella said. "It's much safer."

The man gulped and gave in. "Right," he said, "I was hired by a guy who said his name was Mark, but I think it was an alias. He said he'd give me five hundred bucks for killing the girl in the bed. He told me you wouldn't be a problem."

Bella didn't know what to say. If the man didn't hesitate, then she wouldn't have been a problem and this guy would have his five hundred and probably take up more jobs like the one he had...and then he'd probably get himself killed, just as Bella would have done. It stirred something inside her and for a moment, her front faltered.

"What did this Mark look like?" Alice asked, taking over from Bella as she was suddenly so silent.

The guy diverted his eyes and stared at the small woman who looked like she wouldn't hurt a fly, yet she was pointing a gun at his chest.

"Tall, about six foot in height, brown hair, brown eyes...he was pretty average,"—he paused—"But he had an English accent and he was dressed..."

"What was he wearing?" Alice asked. All the time Bella listened, keeping control of her gun.

"He had a pair of dress slacks on...and a white silk shirt. Not cheap stuff, it looked real expensive."

"Is that all you know?"

"Yes, I'd tell you if I knew anything else," he said with a shaky voice. Bella thought he looked on the verge of crying.

She swallowed and regained her composure. "Okay, you have ten seconds to get out of my sight, otherwise I'm going to hunt you. If I ever see your face again, I will shoot you. No hesitation, no second chances."

The man nodded, got up and ran out of the room. At last Bella turned her gaze to Alice who clicked the safety on the gun she was holding and then took the clip out of the gun before she pocketed it. Bella was impressed, but she didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say to her best friend.

Turning to the bed, she looked at Jessica. Her fingers went to the pulse in her neck and after a few seconds, she found the steady beat she was looking for. With a sigh, she turned back to Alice.

"I'm going to wake her up and she's coming back with us."

"Okay," Alice replied. She left the room to find a wheelchair.

Bella wanted to know why Alice was being so helpful, but she pushed the thought away and went to Jessica. After a few minutes, the girl's eyes fluttered open and she smiled.

"I think he gave me something," Jessica murmured.

Bella's face contorted in confusion. "He said he came here to kill you."

"No, it didn't kill me. He never got the chance to put more than a drop into my system, but still, whatever it was was meant to drug me. He was going to take me somewhere. I'm sure of it."

"The lying bastard," Bella replied, her facing contorting in anger. She wanted to run out of the hospital and hunt him down, but she wasn't going to leave Jessica alone again. Not until she was sure Jessica was safely in her apartment.

Alice came back into the room with a wheelchair and Bella helped Jessica into it. They wrapped a blanket around Jessica and then Alice pushed the wheelchair out of the room, with Bella handling the doors. Once they were out into the car park, Alice helped Jessica into the Porsche and Bella discarded the wheelchair.

They were safely driving back to the apartment, just as they should have been before, but now Bella was sure it was safe. Her instincts told her it was, and she always trusted them.

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**A/N: Read and review!!!!**

**Thanks for the reviews last chapter! 3**


	18. Ch18 Dilemmas Deal with them or die

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer!**

**Another update! Thank you for the reviews last chapter!**

**I've got some songs for this chapter...I don't usually have them because I can't write and listen to them at the same time. I get distracted easily!**

**Bella part 1: Field of Innocence by Evanescence**

**Edward part 2: I don't Care by Fall Out Boy**

**Bella part 3: Defeat you by NDubz**

**If you want an explanation for why I chose those songs, just ask me :D**

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**Chapter 18 – Dilemmas. Deal with them or die.**

Back at the apartment, Bella glanced at the clock. She had barely three hours before she could start expecting the elusive Edward. Her thoughts went back to what she had been thinking in the hospital about her line of work. She had always lured herself into the delusion that she would always be alright, that she was bigger and badder than anything she hunted. She was beginning to understand how wrong she was, and how a single error could have her dead.

She didn't want to die. She didn't want her best friend to have to bury her. Tears streamed down her face and heavy sobs ripped out of her throat. Confusion held a cloud over her mind and depression had its fist clenched around her heart. The toilet roll was near her foot as she was lying against the bathroom door. She pushed it towards herself, pulled some of the roll and wiped her face.

Jessica was asleep in her bed and so was Alice. Safety in numbers. Bella also suspected that the reason they were in her room was because of the weaponry. She didn't mind it, but it meant that she had to come into the bathroom for privacy.

With a sigh, she got up off the cold tiles and went back into the bedroom. Her mobile was on the bedside cabinet. She picked it up and dialled in a familiar number.

"Bella?" said the voice.

"I thought I'd phone to make sure you were alright," Bella replied, her voice sounding drained.

"I saw you speed away down a side street and I lost you. I didn't know where the hell you'd gone! I panicked and wondered if I should go back to the hospital, but it was so dark and I—"

"It's okay, you wouldn't have liked it anyway," Bella replied and told Esme about what had happened at the hospital. She then asked, "Where are you?"

"I didn't want to go back to my house, not after what you said. I'm at Jasper's, I couldn't intrude on Emmett and Rosalie and I know Carlisle has no idea what's going on with you."

Bella felt relieved. She had completely forgotten about Esme in all her panic, and now that events were playing back in her mind, she was glad that Esme had thought of her own safety for once, and she was also glad that Esme was at Jasper's. It was a safer place to be than her house, she was certain of it.

"You stay at Jasper's until I tell you otherwise," Bella stated, "And if you need clothes or anything, take Jasper and Emmett with you to get some things."

"I will do, but Bella, are you sure you're alright?" Esme asked in her concerned motherly voice.

"I'm alive," Bella replied, walking towards the kitchen for a glass of milk.

"That's not what I meant," retorted Esme.

"I know it's not," Bella said.

Esme sighed. "Goodnight, get some rest."

The empty dial tone played into Bella's ear and she felt slightly better for hearing Esme's voice. As much as she wanted to talk about her feelings, she didn't feel it was something she could do. For so long she had defended her right to do what she was doing, and it seemed wrong to her that she should now be feeling how she was. She was going back on everything she had said because of her near-death experience. She'd been in similar situations before, but only now were these thoughts coming to a head.

She drank the glass of milk she'd poured and then lay down on the sofa, resting her head on a cushion. Her gun was on the coffee table within easy reach, although for once in her life, she wished it wasn't.

~*~

Edward was sat in his apartment on a small, retractable chair. His gun was in his hand and occasionally, he would glance at his watch to check the time. He was aware of much more than he had been now, and through his own methods, he had found the source of what he believed to be his current problem.

_I could do with some tin cans...or some unwilling sacrifices_, he thought, holding his gun and waiting. He was expecting his visitor to arrive shortly. One Mark Owens. A business man who had hired a local thug to kill an innocent girl in a hospital. He knew this much, but he didn't know that the girl was still alive, and he didn't know the girl was with Bella and her flatmate.

The reason for Mark's visit was not about the girl, however, but about something Edward had discovered. He was unsure of whether he believed any of it, but Mr Owens had assured him that he could explain everything. Afterwards, Edward would kill him.

The doorbell rang. It was such a normal sound that reminded Edward of a life that he'd never had. A life where his wife would answer the doorbell to Brownies selling cookies whilst he sat on a deck chair on the freshly cut lawn drinking lemonade. He laughed and erased the idea from his mind as suddenly as it had appeared.

After another moment, the door opened and Mr Mark Owens entered. He wore a black suit and a shirt so white that it was obvious to Edward that this man had never done a hard day's work in his life. Edward gestured to the couch opposite him, and after staring at his gun for a long minute, the man sat down.

"The more you stare at them, the bigger they get," remarked Edward and laughed, although his laughter wasn't something a sane person would want to hear, not when he had such an air of wickedness about him.

"Anyway," said Edward, keeping his hand firmly on his gun. The safety was off long before Mr Mark Owens entered the room. "I believe you have some information for me."

"That I do have, but I also have a proposition," the man said.

Edward raised his eyebrows, feigning interest. "And what may this proposition be?"

Mark Owens opened his leather case and pulled out a file two inches thick. "This is all the information I have on the Volturi and Newton Enterprises. You may not believe some of it, but it is all real and all happening now. I'll give you everything I can to help you bring them down, but first, I need a favour from you."

Edward leaned forward, noticing the thin black cable going down Mark Owens neck. _A wire_, he thought, but he still held his slightly interested mask in place.

"And..."

"Excuse me?" Owens asked.

"What do you want me to do?" Edward leaned back slightly, giving himself a better position to shoot from when he needed it.

The man in front of him smiled, believing he was getting somewhere with Edward, but he didn't realise he'd walked into a lion's den. There would be no second chances, not even a first.

"I need someone dead," he said, "Bella Swan."

Edward knew the name, and he knew the person. He nodded and the relief in Owens increased. The light in Mark Owens eyes, however, changed slightly.

"So you'll do it?" Owens asked and Edward noticed the perspiration on his forehead and the tremors of trepidation. He wanted Edward to say it out loud, so he had evidence for whoever he was working for.

"Leave the files with me," Edward replied. He was going to kill the bastard once he'd found Mark's source and was sure that more bullets weren't going to rain down on him.

Knowing that Edward wouldn't budge from what he'd said, the man nodded and left the flat. Once he was sure Mark Owens had left, he picked up the files and checked them for any kind of listening devices or trackers. Pleased that there were none, he shoved them into his rucksack and hoisted over his shoulder. He kicked open the bathroom door, revealing a couple tied to chairs.

When he got out his silver blade, the woman tried to struggle. He wasn't going to kill them, and that alone made him feel he was going soft.

"Tell anyone I was here and I will kill you. The police can't protect you from me, no-one can. In fact, I don't know what they'll find, because I've taken nothing," he added, and it was true. It just needed a false address to give Mark Owens.

He cut off the ropes around the woman's hands and left.

~*~

Alice was the first one awake, despite her lack of sleep. Bella could hear her singing in the shower, and when she stirred, a pain reverberated through her mind like an explosion. She got up and headed to the cabinet above the sink and downed a few aspirins, although she didn't count them. Then she made coffee and after what seemed like a few gallons, she was finally awake.

Alice passed her as she went into the bedroom to get dressed, and she noticed Jessica was in the bathroom brushing her teeth. She wanted to say something like, "That's fast healing" but it sounded dumb even to her. It also left her with over a hundred different questions. Did vampires heal fast, or was it just the vampire abomination that was Jessica?

She pulled on her favourite jeans and t-shirt, added knives and two guns and she was ready. She would have liked a Kevlar vest, but she thought that even Edward would find that a bit too over the top.

When she went into the kitchen, Alice was making toast. She grabbed a slice and ate it on her way out of the door.

"Where are you going?" Alice asked. "We need to talk!"

"We'll talk later, I have some business to attend to," Bella replied, and with that she walked aimlessly down the stairs, wondering if today was going to be her last day. She didn't believe in god or heaven. She believed that when she was dead, she'd be a feast for the worms. That didn't stop her hoping and praying that she could live just a little bit longer. If she could get through today, she could get through anything.

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**A/N: What did you think???? Send me a review!**

**Edward and Bella meet again next chapter ;D**


	19. Ch19 The Hunter Becomes The Hunted

**Disclaimer: Me? Own Twilight? *laugh* no, that's Stephenie Meyer...**

**Thank you for the reviews last chapter! xparawhorextwerdx, EclipsedbyJacob, werewolf1010, S Berger and Lady Dragona--you're amazing!**

**Here we go!**

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**Chapter 19 – The Hunter becomes the Hunted**

A familiar figure was ahead of her on the sidewalk, and for a moment she thought, _Jasper_. She shook her head when the figure turned to face her and she knew the boyish looks of Jacob Black.

"We meet again, Swan," he said in a teasing manner. Bella noticed how he now knew her second name. It didn't surprise her though, he was a private detective. It did, however, irritate her.

"I don't want to sound rude or anything, but I have to go somewhere and I think it's in your best interests that you don't follow me."

"Oooh is this some secret society thing?" he asked naively. It made Bella sigh.

"Look, if you want to die, come with me. If not, stay outside this safe little coffee shop."

Jacob's expression changed from "teasing schoolboy" to "professional" in an instant. It made Bella change her opinion of him immediately.

"I can see you're in some serious shit," he said, moving close enough to Bella that she could feel his breath on her face. "Let me help you."

Bella didn't even hesitate to answer, "No."

"Do you always do everything alone?" he asked her.

"Yes," she replied, although the night before she'd had Jacob helping her and Alice. Alice, her best friend who couldn't condone violence yet had pointed a gun at a thug's chest. She pushed the thought away. She needed to talk to Alice, but she doubted she'd be alive to do it.

"Listen, Jacob, why don't you go and chase a nice, normal girl?" she said, irritated and nervous, but her nerves were for other reasons.

"What, like a leggy blonde slut?" he said, then laughed. "I like a challenge."

It made Bella smile despite herself and she worried that she'd given Jacob the wrong impression. Quickly, she got out her cell phone and gave him her number.

"But don't think anything of it," she said, "We aren't even friends."

With that she walked past him, hoping he wouldn't follow her down the path to death. It was just a normal sidewalk though, one she walked down often. It had never caused her any problems before, but now she couldn't get the thought of dying out of her mind. A woman walked past her with a black dog on a lead, and it increased her nerves so much that she jumped when it barked at her.

_Pull yourself together_, she thought, _it was just a dog, it won't hurt you. _But she wasn't thinking of the dog, not really. She was thinking of a bigger, scarier thing that could hurt her, and that was Edward.

A sleek, black car pulled up on the kerb beside her and she stepped back, trying to see through the tinted glass of the windows.

The side door opened and a dark voice said, "Get in."

Bella hesitated, wondering if Edward would just shoot her on the street if she disobeyed him. She doubted he would, but she didn't doubt the things that he was probably capable of. She got into the car, keeping her hand rested where her gun was for a quick draw and fire. Both of Edward's hands were on the wheel but it was apparent to Bella that he was armed. She gulped, looking into his green eyes and reddish-brown hair. He looked harmless, yet he permeated the air with danger.

"Where are we going?" Bella asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Edward said lightly, although Bella felt a shiver run down her spine. She also doubted that Edward didn't have a plan hidden behind his glossy eyes.

_Crap_, she thought in an instant_, I_ _fancy him. I have a crush on my killer_. She wanted to laugh at the outrageousness of the situation. Another voice inside her was telling her to shoot him whilst he didn't have a firearm in his hands, but she just couldn't find herself being able to do it.

Edward intrigued her, and it wasn't just the air of danger that surrounded him that had her feeling so lustful and frightened at the same time. He was just like her, although she doubted he had as much of a conscience as she did.

_Conscience?_ She questioned herself. Suddenly she was laughing and the car swerved suddenly, smacking her against the door.

"Get your seatbelt on," Edward said, and Bella realised that she hadn't put her seatbelt on. She pulled on the belt and fastened it, unsure of what had come over her for a second. Was she going mad on the verge of death?

The car turned on a sharp bend and went over a stone bridge. Bella had never been this way before, and she worried that she wouldn't be able to find her way back to reality if she managed to escape. Was that his plan? To hunt her?

The morning light was seeping through the trees. It didn't suit the situation Bella was in at all. She wished it was a cold, dark night, then she could have accepted it better. That was when all the bad things were supposed to happen—after dark.

The car stopped and the engine was turned off, leaving them in an eerie silence inside the car. Ahead were trees and it didn't help Bella's thoughts. Her fingers were itching to pull out her gun and shoot the bastard in front of her.

"Take out both guns, Bella," Edward said, sounding tired. Bella felt stunned as she took out the two guns she had. She wasn't letting go of them though.

"Give them to me, Bella," Edward added more sternly. Bella gripped them tighter.

"I'm not willingly going to let you kill me," she remarked, the terror draining from her, leaving a cold trail as it sunk inside.

"I never thought you would," Edward stated, "But if you don't give me your guns, you won't find out why I wanted to see you and you certainly won't ever see life outside this car again."

Bella didn't doubt him for a second on that. She didn't know him, but the coldness behind his eyes let her know of him. He didn't look armed from Bella's perspective, but that meant nothing. Then again, he could have been using mind games on her.

With a sigh, she handed over the guns. Edward emptied them and threw them onto the backseat.

"The Volturi hired you, to kill Mike Newton," Edward said, sure of himself as Bella stared longingly at the guns. She knew it was stupid, but she couldn't help herself. _Cold-blooded killer_, she thought of herself.

"Yes," Bella finally said, her heart jumping into her throat. She couldn't find herself lying to Edward, she had a feeling that he knew all of the facts and wanted an excuse to shoot her back.

"And you know what Newton's scientists were trying to achieve?"

"Yes," Bella repeated herself. She knew about the vampire genes, as she had proof living at her flat.

"Did you know that Aro Volturi wanted Newton dead so he could take over the research?"

Bella's heart was pounding in her ears and she could taste copper on her tongue. "There were no papers there, when I went to kill Newton."

"It seems he used you for his own purpose without giving you all of the facts." The amusement on Edward's face irritated Bella, but it also increased her fear. She also had no idea of how to reply to his surety.

"He hired men to kill Jessica," he said after a quiet moment, "Although I'm not entirely sure it was him, but I'd bet my life on it. He knew she was with you, trying to bring them down."

Bella remained silent. She didn't know what to say to the man in front of her and the terror she felt had heightened so much that she was sure that if she opened her mouth, she would scream.

"I'm going to unlock the car and count to ten. Then I'm going to find you and kill you. If you get away alive, I won't come after you again and the information I've given you will be useful."

"I can't be certain of that," Bella finally managed to say, her voice on the verge of breaking.

"No, you can't. It's a dangerous game you're playing, Bella, and I don't think you have the fight in you to be able to play it. If you get out alive today, then I want you to drop the whole case before someone else kills you. If you get out alive and don't heed my warning, I'll make sure that the person who kills you is me."

Bella wanted to freeze in terror, but at that moment, the door lock clicked and she was out of the car, running as fast as she could into the cover of the forest. She was counting as she went, waiting for Edward to start shooting.

Beneath the canopy of trees, the light was less penetrating and the forest floor was in almost darkness. Bella pressed her back up against a tree and lifted her jeans to reveal the shin sheaths. She pulled out both knives and carelessly, they clanged against each other. The sound seemed to reverberate in the still woods and her panting was the only thing she could hear. Immediately, she stopped breathing so heavily and she crouched in the soil.

A twig snapped to her left and the knife in her left hand was out in front of her, facing the faded light as her eyes searched for Edward's figure. Instead she saw a squirrel; it made eye contact with her and fled. Still on high alert, she got up from her crouching position and hurried further into the woods. Her thoughts were filled of Alice and how she would be left in danger with Jessica if Bella died. She wished she'd never dragged anyone into her mess, and for once, she wished she had never picked up a gun after she killed James.

That could have been her dark past—the one that was locked away in a safe in the back of her mind. Instead, she was living her dark past every day of her life.

_Don't be stupid_, she thought to herself, knowing that she was going delirious. It was the only reason she had for her having multiple voices in her mind. Voices of reason arguing with voices of debauchery.

_Hunt him back! He's hunting you! Win or die!_

With a silent sigh, she retraced her steps back towards the open land. Every time she heard a sound, she'd crouch behind a tree trunk and wait, ready, poised to attack.

She had thought her luck had run out when she caught a glance of Edward, barely three metres away from her, looking around as he moved with stealth. He had two knives in his hands and sub machine gun on his back. Bella wondered if he knew about her knives, seeing as he had a matching set out himself. It had given her a moment's hope that he would fight her with knives, but seeing the sub made her think otherwise. He could get tired of his game and rain bullets over her.

_Stop waiting!_ A voice screamed at her. _Get him!_

It sounded like a simple concept, but she knew it wasn't. She thought about throwing one of her knives, but she wasn't so good at doing that and if it missed, she would have warned him and then been in even more shit than she already was in.

She ran at him immediately, but he turned at the last second, as if knowing she was there. She blocked his attack with one of her knives and then blocked another. He was swift in his movements and Bella was fighting to keep up. He was also stronger than she was, so the force he used rattled her to her bones. At that moment she wished she had a gun. Guns didn't care about the size of a person. Put a hole in a muscly man and he's as dead as a fragile old woman would be.

Her hair whipped around her face, but she resisted the urge to swipe at it.

In an instant, she felt a sharp stabbing pain in her left hand and her knife dropped. She knew it was bleeding by the feel of the hot liquid sliding down her arm. In a rage, she threw the other knife she had, although she wasn't sure where it would land. Edward moved to the side, but the knife connected with the one in his right hand and both went flying.

Edward had one knife now...and the lethal machine strapped to his back. Bella felt a moment of triumph in being able to get rid of one of his weapons, but now she had nothing. She sprang to the ground in the direction the left knife had dropped and her hands felt the cool metal of its blade. It was in her right hand in an instant, but by the look in the eyes that were staring at her, it was already too late.

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**A/N: OMG! What did you think?! Please let me know...it wasn't too evil, right?! Next chapter goes to the unexpected...you can ask me uestions, but I cannot and will not guarantee an answer *evil laugh***


	20. Ch20 Changeling

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer**

**Thank you for the reviews last chapter!!!**

**My sister suggested a song for this chapter. "It Ends Tonight" by the All American Rejects. I agree.**

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**Chapter 20 – Changeling**

"Drop the knife," Edward said. He had dropped his knife but was pointing the sub at Bella. She dropped her knife immediately, not even having to think about it.

Edward was standing above her and she could feel her heart pounding against her ribs. She clenched her left hand and felt a new burst of pain, but she held onto that pain. _Die brave_, she told herself, but she didn't have to. She knew she would anyway. It was something programmed inside her. Her father had died brave. He had died in the same way she was about to...She shut off the memory so she wouldn't cry. Edward would have thought she was crying because of him and the prospect of death, but she wasn't going to.

_Death will be a relief_, she thought, looking up at the emerald eyes of her killer. She knew she would have died at some point, and now seemed like a good enough time as any. Her lips curved into a grin and she smiled widely. It was a smile that she hadn't been able to let loose on her face since the death of her father, and it had grown even smaller after each death she caused, as each bit of innocence was stripped away from her.

The smile confused Edward, but she didn't want him confused. She wanted him to do his job, the one that she had done thousands of times with the belief that what she was doing was for a good cause. Edward had proved to her that not every kill she had made was for good and looking up at him now, seeing her own eyes reflected in his, she accepted that. She accepted that she wasn't a good person even though her intentions had been good.

_Kill me,_ she screamed with her eyes, still shining brightly, happily.

"Why are you smiling?" Edward asked, gun still poised.

"Because I'm going to die," Bella replied simply.

~*~

Alice had wanted to follow Bella, fearing for her safety even more after the previous night, but she knew that Bella could take care of herself, and she trusted Bella to do that. With a huff, she turned around and buttered the toast in front of her.

Jessica had come out of the bedroom now, and was wearing one of Alice's night dresses. Alice was a few inches shorter than Jessica, so it rode high on her thighs. Jessica was towelling her hair and seemed completely radiant—as though she hadn't been shot the previous night. Alice was in no doubt that Jessica would have died without the immediate medical attention, however.

"Where's Bella," Jessica asked, taking a slice of toast and biting into it.

"She went out," Alice replied shortly, grabbing her coffee mug for comfort.

"Oh."

Jessica stopped mid-step and a look of pain washed across her features. Alice's own face contorted in confusion, but before she could say anything, Jessica was on the floor and blood was trickling out of her mouth as she convulsed.

"I knew we shouldn't have taken you out of the hospital," Alice muttered under her breath as she dropped her coffee mug onto the worktop and crouched beside Jessica.

Jessica's skin was cold to the touch and feeling it reminded Alice of dead flesh. She shuddered and cast the thought out of her mind as she reached for Jessica's pulse.

"Jessica, can you hear me? Please be okay," she said as she found Jessica's pulse slowing. "Jess!" Alice screamed, standing up and running over to the phone.

For a moment, she stopped in her tracks. _Who do I call?_ She thought. She doubted she could explain what was happening to the paramedics again, and Bella might have been in a situation where a phone call wouldn't have been helpful.

_Esme_, she thought, dialling Esme's mobile. On the second ring, Esme answered.

"Alice?" her tone was full of concern.

"Esme, I don't know what to do! Jessica's convulsing and I don't know why!" Alice was on the brink of tears.

"I'll be there in ten minutes, if she hasn't stopped in two, phone an ambulance."

Alice nodded and realised Esme couldn't see her actions, she replied and clicked off the phone, still clutching it in her left hand as she moved back over to Jessica. She put a cushion underneath Jessica's head and looked at the digital clock on the coffee table.

Suddenly, Jessica stopped convulsing and fell into a trance-like state. Alice leant over Jessica, trying to gauge whether she was okay or not. _Of course she's not okay, look at her!_

Jessica's eyes were unfocused and...lifeless. Her chest was no longer moving and when Alice put her ear to Jessica's lips, there was no movement of air. She's not breathing, Alice thought, feeling panicked. She put her fingers against Jessica's neck. Her heart isn't beating.

The horror of it washed over Alice and immediately, she began to tremble. The phone that had she had been clutching so tightly in her left hand made a 'thud' sound as it hit the carpet. She moved back on her hands and knees slowly as tears streamed down her cheeks. A trembling sob broke from her chest and it started a chain reaction. Soon she was wailing pitifully, in a way that she was sure she had never cried before. A memory came to her forcefully, and it was a memory she didn't need to remember. The images flashing in her mind made her hyperventilate, and before she could calm herself, the world around her blurred and blackened.

_Alice was dreaming. It was the morning before her mother died. She was sat on her parent's bed, watching her mother with awe as she brushed her hair and put perfume on. Her father—Carlisle—walked out of the bathroom in a suit, and he was struggling to fasten his cufflinks with one hand._

"_But why can't I come?" she asked in a childish voice. Her mother put down her perfume and embraced Alice, the smell of sunshine encasing her senses as she breathed in the perfume and underneath that, the soft scent of her mother's skin._

"_This is a special event for your father, only adults are going to it," was her mother's answer._

_Her mother pulled away. Alice didn't know it would be the last time she'd ever see her mother, let alone touch her._

"_I'm going to be lonely," Alice replied, crossing her arms in a perfect imitation of her mother when she was angry._

_The peal of her mother's laughter made her smile. "You won't be alone, Al, Bella is coming round, and you'll have loads of fun with her and the child minder."_

_Carlisle had gone back into the bathroom and the doorbell rang._

"_Mary, can you get that? I'll be down in a minute," he shouted, and Alice smiled, knowing exactly who would be at the door._

_She ran down the stairs and straight into the chest of Charlie Swan. He picked her up and swung her around like a child, although she was ten, and definitely not a child in her own eyes._

"_Hey, Kid," he said smiling as he kissed her forehead, his moustache scratchy on her skin. "Bella's just getting a surprise out of the car for you."_

_Giddy with excitement, Alice ran out into the garden to find her friend._

"_Alice!" her mother called, and she knew it was for her to get inside._

"_Alice, Alice, Alice!" the calls were persistent. This wasn't part of the—_

She opened her eyes with strain and when the blurred images in front of her had cleared, she found she was staring up into Esme's eyes. They were comforting and kind and reminded her even more of her mother. She felt the tears slide from her eyelids and run down her ears as she recalled the rest of the memory. Both she and Bella had gone into the house and spent hours of having fun, playing games and making cakes. They had then made a tent in Alice's bedroom and gone to sleep underneath it, knowing that Mary, Carlisle and Charlie wouldn't be home until long after they were asleep.

Alice had woken first to the sound of her name being called in her father's voice, although it had sounded unlike her father. At the time she hadn't realised it was in grief. His voice was strangled and his eyes were red. Bella had woken beside her, and upon seeing Carlisle's face, she had started crying and shouting for her dad. Alice was sure Bella knew something was wrong even then.

Carlisle had taken Bella out of the room, and minutes later, the sound of wailing and crashing items let Alice know that something terrible had happened. When he returned to the room, he had told Alice the words that she didn't want to hear, but had to hear. Even when he spoke, her brain had registered bits and pieces.

"At the dinner...terrorist attack...marmite from the store...got back...dead..."

It took Alice a long moment to understand what her father was telling her. He had gone to the closest convenience store to buy marmite, which was her mother's current craving. It only made the situation even more of a tragedy. Her mother was five months pregnant when she'd been killed and Carlisle had been too late to save her.

Despite the information, Alice never cried. She remained stone-faced and cold. The ironic thing was that now, as adults, the roles had reversed between her and Bella. Bella was usually the cold expressionless one and Alice was the emotional one. It took her eight years for her to finally begin mourning the death of her mother, and she always did it in private, when no-one could find her tear-streaked complexion or hear her sobs.

"Alice?" Esme said, causing Alice to look up at the figure in front of her.

"I'm okay," she croaked, and the horror of what had happened moments ago in her flat resurfaced. "But Jessica—"

The words died in her throat, as standing on the other side of the room, dazed and confused and frightened, was Jessica.

~*~

"Jessica?" Alice questioned, but Jessica never moved her eyes or opened her mouth to speak. She wasn't sure what was happening with her, but she knew that to talk she would have to take in air, and taking in air would cause that _scent_ to attack her senses again.

It was a smell so pure and tantalising that she was afraid to move even an inch closer to Alice and Esme. It was the smell of their blood. She could almost taste it flowing down her throat like rich honey, and a voice inside her told her that it would rid of the burning agony in her throat.

_I can't touch them_, she thought, looking at both the women. _They have helped me_.

A bitter liquid started rise in her throat like bile, but she knew it wasn't bile, it was the same substance that was watering in her mouth. In convulsive swallows she tried to push it down, but it was like a tide, its ascent was inevitable.

Immediately, she moved towards the bathroom. Her speed was even faster than it had been and everything around her moved in a blur. Before she could comprehend what was happening, she was expelling the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

With the loss of food, the knowledge dawned on her. She had researched vampires many times over the years since she had become a mutant version of them—neither belonging with the paranormal or with the humans. And now, after so many years of wishing she was one or the other, her wish had come true. She was a full vampire. Her genes had completed the transformation that she never thought would happen.

_Take it back,_ she pleaded with herself, wishing to be half and half again. The burning thirst was taking over her, and the primal instinct was fighting against her conscience.

_I can't touch them_, she told herself again before she opened the window beside the sink. The space she had created was large enough for her to crawl out of, and on the clear morning above the traffic-filled streets, she filled her lungs with icy air, picked up a scent and jumped.

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**A/N: Read and Review!**

**Please don't kill me!!!!**


	21. Ch21 Hidden Truths

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer!**

**Sorry it took me so long to get up!**

**Thanks for last chapter's reviews!**

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**Chapter 21 – Hidden Truths**

Edward had thought the moment would have been like all of the other times he had made a kill. He usually felt nothing and he didn't discriminate. He only drew the line at children. No matter what people might say, children were always the innocent party in any situation.

Even his past didn't shake that view.

_Fifteen year old Edward was walking down the desolate streets on a dark night, as he always did. He'd been taught what to do. Leaving home at fourteen, he thought he was being clever. His father was a drunk drug addict who'd beaten his mother to death with a baseball bat back before he could remember. The cops had never found out, but every time Edward did something wrong, his father reminded him of what he'd done, and he'd threatened that he would do it to Edward._

_One night, almost a year previously, Edward had got hold of his father's heroin and whilst sleeping, Edward had injected it into his father, overdosing him before he left the disgusting caravan they lived in. A year later, his conscience still nagged at him, but he still believed it was justice he had served._

_Back on the street, he heard the familiar footsteps that sped up his heart. The rapid pitter patter against the pavement was her trademark. Keira, he thought as she became visible under the streetlights. She was wearing boots that made her taller than Edward and her skirt was short and crinkled. She wore a denim jacket to stave off the cold, but it was apparent to Edward that it didn't._

"_Eddie!" she said in a shrill voice, tottering even faster to embrace him. He smiled to himself and when she stepped back out of the hug, she laughed at him—a joyous sound that seemed wrong for the situation, but it made Edward feel better. As long as Keira was there to be his friend, he'd survive._

"_You know you're the only one who calls me that," he stated, his voice lighter than it was now._

"_I'll keep that in mind," Keira replied, eyes twinkling. She then cast a glance around. "I'm seeing Aaron today," she added nonchalantly._

_Edward knew that Aaron was one of her highest paying customers. He glanced around with her, looking for the Lexus._

"_I'll do a 50/50 split with you again today," Keira said._

"_You need the money as much as I do, Kay," Edward replied in protest. At that moment the engine of the familiar Lexus came into sight. Keira winked and walked towards the car._

_That was the last time he'd seen Keira alive. When she didn't turn up the next few nights, he thought she'd moved on. He found out the truth when he read a newspaper a week later. Her body was found in the river._

He came back to the present, pointing his weapon at Bella. Her smiling face had left him stunned. Not only because he didn't expect it, but because she had the same sparkling eyes of his last friend—the one who had betrayed him by dying.

"Why are you smiling?" he asked, the gun wavering slightly.

"Because I'm going to die," Bella replied.

Edward looked into her eyes again and wasn't sure if his next move would come back to bite him.

In exasperation, he lowered the gun. "I can't do it," he muttered, feeling much like the weak fifteen year old he had been, dependent on a girl to look after him. It angered him, but his conscience was telling him it was the right thing to do. _Strange,_ he thought, I _never knew I had a conscience._

He'd lost it when he'd tortured and killed Keira's killer. No, it wasn't Aaron.

Bella gave him a look of rage and Edward wanted to scream at her. _I'm giving you your life! _

He held out his hand to her, and looking at him sceptically, she took it.

"You better give me an explanation for all of this," Bella remarked coldly, but the relief in her voice was strong.

Edward didn't like her tone, but he realised she was right.

~*~

"Jessica?" Alice asked in a raised voice as Jessica disappeared. She suddenly heard retching in the bathroom and the shock knocked the breath out of her.

_Did Jessica just materialise in the bathroom_? She thought, although she knew the idea was stupid. She turned to Esme.

"She was dead, I'm sure of it," she muttered, racking her brain for an explanation.

"I believe you, Alice. But whatever happened needs explaining, and I think the only person who can explain it is Jessica...or Bella." Alice nodded in response, feeling that for once, she didn't want to be involved in whatever her best friend was involved in.

Esme helped Alice into a standing position, and wobbling slightly, she and Esme moved towards the bathroom. Alarm bells were screaming in her mind that something was wrong. She remembered the look in Jessica's face when she was watching them, and that look had something in it that seemed wrong. It looked like Jessica was fighting something, her delicate expression switching from light to dark and back again. A shiver ran along Alice's spine and she was almost tempted to find a weapon of some kind.

Esme opened the bathroom door, and the tension in the air seemed so thick that it was hard to breathe. What Alice saw caused her to stumble, and she grabbed the doorframe for support. The window was open, and for a second she was sure she saw white material in the black night. Esme had already ran to the window and was peering out.

"She's gone," she said bewildered.

Alice dragged herself over to the window to see with her own eyes. She expected to see a fragile body on the pavement below the flats, but she saw nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"Shit," she murmured, and it was the only word that fitted the situation.

~*~

The tall, leggy blonde walked into the office. Her red lipstick was applied perfectly, giving her a full, delectable pout and her heels worked the muscles in her legs and behind. Jacob couldn't help but look up from his computer to catch a glimpse of the usually elusive Rosalie Hale. It wasn't a word he could quite put to her, because when people saw her, they couldn't look away. Was that because they hardly ever saw her around the office, or was it because of her perfect body?

Jacob looked away, but looked up again in confusion. _She's moving towards me_, he thought, feeling the blood pump faster around his body. _I must be dreaming_. She was the only woman he would never try anything on with though. She permeated the air around her with danger and authority.

_Prefer my women shorter anyway_, he lied to himself.

Rosalie Hale stopped in front of his desk and glanced at his screen. Stupidly, he had left the monitor on when she came over. A strange expression crossed her features for a second before she regained her composure.

"Aren't you supposed to be working on the O'Brien case?" she said sharply.

"Yeah, but I'm ahead of the game with it," he replied.

"I don't care. You finish the case you're on before starting a new one, and I want you to drop this." She pointed to the screen, the look in her eyes holding the command of someone who knew she would get her way.

_Not this time_, thought Jacob.

"I work on my cases the same as everyone else, why is this one such a big deal?" Jacob asked, feeling defensive.

Rosalie clenched her jaw and the shine of her eyes dulled. _How does she do that?_

"Come outside. I'm not causing a scene in here," Rosalie said, glancing around at the other people at desks.

With a sigh, Jacob got up, logged off the computer and grabbed his paperwork. Quickly, he stuffed it into his case and followed her, watching the swagger of her hips as she moved.

At the bottom of the stairs, and out of the view of watching eyes, Rosalie grabbed his arm in a vice-like grip, a grip he thought women should not be able to hold. It was sexist of him, but it was the way he was brought up. She dragged him out into the fresh air and pushed him against the wall.

"Whatever you're trying to find out about Bella Swan, I want you to drop it right now," she hissed.

"Why?" he asked, "What's it to you?"

Rage flickered in her eyes like a burning fire and the next thing she said shocked him into silence.

"Bella Swan is one of my closest friends. Fuck with her and I'll fuck with you."

With her parting message, Rosalie walked back into the building. Jacob turned, seeing her expression become pleasant again as she walked up the stairs. With a grin, he jogged down the street.

_Rosalie Hale, I'll find what that girl's hiding._

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**A/N: R&R! I look forward to your thoughts! I'm watching Jurassic Park if anyone's interested...No? Thought not...**


	22. Ch22 Shaken and Stirred

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer!**

**Here's another chapter of Showdown! Thanks for last chapters reviews! Special shout outs to EclipsedbyJacob, xparawhorextwerdx, SophieRosalie and Lady Dragona**.

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**Chapter 22 – Shaken and Stirred**

Bella and Edward got back to the car. Bella didn't know what to think. She thought she was going to die when she stared up at Edward's face and she had even come as far as being able to accept the fact. She always tried to do good things, but Edward had revealed to her that even good intentions don't necessarily make a person a good person.

_But I know I'm good_, she thought, _I'm not a bad person. I'm not evil._

She glanced at Edward who was putting his seatbelt on and starting the car. She had her seatbelt on, it was the first think she did. It was as if her body was working on auto pilot whilst her brain was trying to muddle through the events that had taken place.

Edward hadn't shot her, and she was sitting in his car being driven home, she presumed. Was it her last moment of bravery that had saved her from death? She didn't know, and although she had wanted answers from Edward, she was sure that pushing him for them would be a bad idea.

"I got contracted to kill you yesterday, by the person who contracted someone else to kill Jessica," he stated.

"I gathered that," Bella retorted dryly. They turned down a back street and onto a road Bella recognised. Relief wrapped around her senses like a cocoon.

"We have five minutes to talk about this. If you're just going to act like a pissed off bitch then we'll get to discuss nothing important."

"Yeah, well, is it any wonder why?" She wanted to take back the statement but knew she couldn't. Edward pulled into the side and stopped the car. He turned off the engine.

"Right, now we have more time to accommodate for your pissy mood." He sounded irritated.

Bella didn't respond. She stared out of the opposite window, watching the world go past her.

Everything in my life has changed, but the world is still the same, she thought, looking at the diversity of people walking down the street and the cars passing.

"Are you going to tell me everything you know now?" Edward asked impatiently, drumming his hands on the steering wheel.

Bella remained silent. As much as she was unsure about Edward, she didn't want to drag him further into the mess she was in, which was a funny thing to think, seeing as he was ready to kill her.

She heard the click of a safety and felt the barrel of a gun against her left temple.

"Right, we'll do it this way," Edward said. Bella felt her heart pumping, but she was certain Edward wouldn't kill her. Not in public. Plus, he would have killed her in the woods if that was his intention.

"Lower the gun, buy me a coffee, and we'll talk," she said.

"Or I can just shoot you, clean the car, and buy myself a coffee and a nice raw steak."

Bella felt incensed as she said, "Just shoot me, it would get rid of the headache you're giving me."

"Fine," Edward replied coldly. Bella was unsure of whether Edward was joking or not.

"1...2..."—Bella held her breath and closed her eyes—"3."

Bella heard the click of an empty chamber and breathed out, opening her eyes as she did so. She turned to look at Edward who was putting a clip into the same gun.

"I've had my fun," Edward said, "Let's get coffee."

Bella couldn't have been more surprised if a pig fell out of the sky.

~*~

"We should phone Bella," Esme said, closing the window. Alice nodded and ran back into the kitchen for her cell phone.

She pressed in Bella's number and waited, getting the voicemail.

"I'm sorry I can't get to the phone right now, but leave me a message and I'm sure to get back to you."

Alice screamed in frustration, then realised it was being recorded. "Sorry, Bella, it's Alice. We have a situation at the house."

She then disconnected the call and walked back to the bathroom, where Esme was sitting on the cold tiles with a flannel. She felt bad that Esme was getting dragged into the mess and even worse for ruining Esme's evening.

"Maybe you should go back to Jasper's, Esme?" she suggested, giving Esme a way out.

Esme looked up and hesitated, but then her look turned to one of ferocious determination.

"I think I'll stay, thank you. Bella has dealt with this alone for so long and now it's time we help her."

Alice nodded, but she was sure Esme wasn't talking about the current Volturi case.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Alice froze, but then let out a breath. The knock was a monotonous three taps followed by a pause and there was only one person she knew who knocked like that. She let a smile spread across her features and it was then that Alice realised she hadn't smiled in hours. She was certain, however, that the smile didn't reach her eyes. It was a part of the face that couldn't be controlled by a person because it was the pathway to their being—to their soul. After everything that had already occurred, Alice was not surprise that her inner self had taken a beating.

She went through the living area and reached the door. When she opened it, she was glad to see the person she had expected. It was Rosalie. Rosalie was still wearing her work clothes and her immaculate face was etched into a scowl. Alice's first thoughts were of Emmett, until Rosalie stormed through the door and into the living room with an air of irritation surrounding her.

"Where's Bella?" she asked in ire.

Alice had had enough of all she could handle for a day and Rosalie's anger only managed to fuel hers.

"What, no foreplay?" she asked.

Rosalie turned, her eyes flaming and her jaw tense. She pointed a finger at Alice and all Alice could think of was how normal everything had been at Esme's party and how everything had managed to change in what barely seemed to be a heart beat.

Rosalie noticed the sadness in Alice's eyes and she could see the shadows under them from lack of sleep. Rosalie dropped her hand slowly and sighed. Just like that her own irritation and anger fluttered away.

"I'm sorry, Alice, it's just that I had a problem at work today and it's vitally important that I speak to Bella."

"What sort of problem?" Alice asked. Rosalie hesitated, but then realised that Alice was one of her best friends. She deserved to know things.

"One of the detectives was looking at her files. You don't look at someone's files unless you are working for someone who needs the information or you have found something out about a person that you want to investigate further."

Alice's eyes widened and shock filled them. "You mean, about Bella's job?"

"I expect so," said Rosalie. She looked around the living room, taking in its messy appearance. It was usually spotless.

Esme came into the room then.

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

"It's been a long night, Rose," said Alice. She then went over to the coffee maker.

"Tell me everything." It was clear that Rosalie was demanding it.

Alice did. She told Rosalie about Bella's latest case for the Volturi and the appearance of Jessica. She then explained the hospital emergency and finally, Jessica leaving the apartment in an unorthodox way.

"You know I don't believe the stuff about vampires, right?" Rosalie said as she tried to make sense of everything she had been told.

"I don't expect you to," said Alice

"Okay. I suppose the only person who can fill in the blanks now is Bella," stated Rosalie.

"I've been trying to get hold of her, Rose, but she isn't picking up. She said she had to go out and I don't know if it was for information or whether it was a hit. She could be d—"

"Alice! Do you really think that? This is Bella we are talking about. B-e-l-l-a."

Alice sighed. "You're right. It's just after everything that's happened. I can't seem to think straight. Everything's a mess."

"Damn right it's a mess, but do you know what we're going to do about it?" Rosalie asked. Esme was watched her daughter as if she'd never seen her before, but truthfully, this was Rosalie. If she had a corner to fight, she would fight it and all the other corners until there were no corners left.

"What's that?" Alice asked.

"We're going to fix it."

~*~

Edward picked up the coffee mug and drank it like it was water. His coffee was black and scorching. Bella could only watch on in amazement. Mainly, she was surprised he hadn't burnt off his taste buds.

"It's good coffee," stated Edward.

"It is," replied Bella. She'd opted for milk and sugar in hers. She always found it helped more after shock. She was nursing it as though it was something stronger with a high alcohol percentage, but it was just coffee.

Their table was in a secluded corner, away from the general movement of customers and out of the way of the windows. They sat on black, plastic chairs around a small, circular table. Bella had put a salt shaker between them to send Edward a simple, but clear message. She didn't want him to invade her space. It showed she was territorial.

Edward took the warning as, "Fuck with me and mine and you will pay." It worked just the same.

"Are we ready to talk?" Edward asked, trying to nudge Bella in the direction he was aiming for.

Bella took another sip of coffee and looked up. The pain in her injured hand had lessened enough that she felt like it was almost not there. Almost. Her thoughts kept flashing to Alice, who she had left mere hours ago without a second thought. She had been so focused on the job at hand that she had neglected her closest friend, her sister.

You didn't need to be flesh and blood to have such a bond. It was the soul that had to connect. It was the loving the person so much that it hurt and being able to hate them with just as much. Sometimes flesh and blood didn't guarantee such a connection and Bella felt that for the past few years, she had slowly been picking away at the fibres that held her and Alice together.

Guilt washed over her and passed through her like a ghost, but unlike a ghost, it penetrated her. She had to fix everything and get her life together. Her father's death had been the start of the mess. She had to rip off every single plaster she had stuck on herself along the way and heal it properly. Plasters would only hold so long before she broke anyway.

She looked up at Edward, who had the most amazing pair of eyes she had ever seen on a man. They were a deep green colour that somehow managed to hold darkness, but it wasn't the kind of darkness Bella had ever seen on a truly evil man, the kind of darkness that says, "No matter how good you are to me, I'll kill you." They were more of a darkness that was shielding something. Like a safety blanket, a way of hiding your inner emotions and memories because they are so bad that the world isn't allowed to see them. Edward's eyes were dark with hatred and fear. Fear of his past and hatred of himself. Bella knew that, because his eyes were like reflections of her own.

She gulped back a lump that had tried to lodge itself in her throat. She was not going to cry in front of the bad man. She still considered him a bad man, no matter what her deepest thoughts and instincts were telling her. Instincts could be wrong.

"I suppose we can talk," she said after a while. Her hands were shaking on the coffee cup.

"I want straight answers, not lies. It will make both of our lives easier. I believe the Volturi contracted people to kill Jessica and I believe they tried to hire me to do the same to you. They are doing something, trying to produce something that you and Jessica know about."

"I know as much as you do about K-40, Edward," Bella replied.

"You're as much an assassin as I am, Bella, you know the rules. People do not hire professionals to kill people unless those people are a liability. They wouldn't do it unless you knew something that could destroy the entire project. As ruthless as they are, they won't have people killed without a purpose. We are never hired to kill without reason, despite how ruthless we are perceived."

Bella opened her mouth and then closed it again. There was nothing she could say because she knew Edward was right. She was also worried by how deeply he was pushing. The situation was serious—more serious than Bella could have imagined it. Yes, people were getting killed, but Bella doubted Edward would be so...concerned about a pile of bodies. She also doubted Edward was ever so concerned about anything, and that terrified her more than anything.

What could be so bad that it had the perfect killer shaken?

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**A/N: The chapter came from the last line and also the fact that there's a salt shaker on the table...**

**I added more Bella and Edward into this chapter to make you happy. Please send me a review, and thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter!**


	23. Chapter 23 Missing Links

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer!!!! (But the guns are mine)**

**Thank you for last chapter's lovely reviews! Oh, and EclipsedbyJacob told me that Bella has black coffee. The milk and sugar was for shock, if anyone else was wondering. I am, however, flattered that she remembers :D**

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**Chapter 23 – Missing Links**

The waiter came over to the table with a fresh pot of coffee. Bella glanced up at the clock. They had been in the shop for almost an hour and had gotten nowhere. It seemed that as time went on, Bella got more confused and more anxious. She just wanted to go back to her apartment, tell Alice that she was sorry for everything and then go to bed and tell God not to wake her up until everything was over.

She doubted God would listen to such a request. He would tell her to work through things and learn. She had learnt as much as she was willing to.

...but she knew she couldn't leave things where they were. It was a situation she had forced herself into and therefore she had to be the one to get herself out of it. She picked up her fresh mug of coffee, filled it with enough sugar to rot all of her teeth and then took a sip. It cleared her head slightly.

"You must know something," said Edward, his voice lower, as though he might beg. Bella swallowed a laugh at that one.

"You know everything I know," replied Bella. Edward ran his fingers through his hair and Bella found herself watching the gesture. Her gaze went to his hair, which was almost a bronze colour in the light of day. Strands of red were woven into strands of gold.

"There's a missing link somewhere." Bella snapped out of her haze as his words echoed around her.

_Missing link._

She imagined a chain fitting together and then a circle of friends joined by their hands. She then saw her own friends, their faces flashing in front of her and then fading to reveal the next one. She stopped.

"Jessica," she said, her heart beating rapidly. She could taste copper in her throat. "Jessica went to Aro for me and then she got shot. The hit on me came at the same time."

"She has the information that could make or break everything." Edward had stated the obvious.

Bella stood up, leaving her unfinished cup on the table as she eagerly raced for the exit. She had never left a cup of coffee unfinished before.

Edward unlocked the car and they were both in it, speeding towards Bella's apartment. Behind them, another car followed.

~*~

"Fix this?!" shouted Alice. The look she gave Rosalie was anything but friendly.

"Yes," Rosalie replied calmly, although the look in her eyes let Alice know it was a cool calm. A calm that was teetering on the edge of a storm.

"I don't mean to offend you, Rose, it's just that this mess is possibly even above you."

Rosalie raised her eyebrows in mild amusement. "Do you know how many cases I've solved, Alice? Do you know what those cases involved?"

Alice opened her mouth and then snapped it shut. She shook her head.

Rosalie pulled back her tailored jacket to reveal a gun in a shoulder holster. "We all carry them, but there's a difference between carrying and using. If you're not willing to shoot people, then it's just a rock made out of metal. I'm a shooter, Alice, I won't hesitate for anyone."

Alice felt her breathing start to increase and she tried her hardest to keep herself level headed. She remembered the hospital, she remembered picking up the gun and standing above the man that had pushed the gun against Bella. That wasn't the worst of it though. The worst part was that Alice was ready to shoot him, no matter what. She could have pulled the trigger, even if it would have destroyed her afterwards.

Bile rose up her throat like a rapidly rising tide that couldn't be stopped. She took one last look at the gun tucked under Rosalie's arm before she ran in the direction of the bathroom.

Whilst Alice was having an attack of conscience, Rosalie put her jacket back on and turned to her mother who was mildly shocked. In the heat of the moment, Rosalie had forgotten about the presence of her mother and now horror was pushing at her mind.

"Mom, I didn't mean—"

"It's fine," said Esme. "I knew what you went through. I knew what Bella did to save you. You're not a bad person, Rose."

Rosalie scowled. "I never said I was a bad person," she stated defensively.

"No, you didn't, but it's written in your eyes the way it's written in Bella's body language. You both do what you have to do."

"But that doesn't make us good people, Esme," said Rosalie. Her arms were crossed over her chest, acting as a barrier and a warning all at the same time. Barriers are red and white; white is defensive, but red, red is a warning that the kitten bites.

"No, it doesn't. It makes you human."

Alice came out of the bathroom then, her face pale and drained. She smiled weakly and hugged her arms. Her gesture, however, was of complete vulnerability.

Rosalie felt that Alice's current state was her fault, although she couldn't quite understand why. She knew that guns freaked people out because they weren't normal. They were a thing of books and movies, not real life. The fact that a life could be erased by the simple pulling of a trigger seemed outrageous, but looking at a gun, a person's alarm bells started to ring, even if they weren't quite sure why.

Rosalie felt that Alice would think differently though, because she lived with Bella. Rosalie had seen all of Bella's toys locked in a cabinet. She had even held some of them and accompanied Bella to the shooting range. She was surprised that a relatively small handgun could make Alice so frightened when it was obvious she'd seen the worst of Bella's weapons.

Maybe it was the way she spoke that had Alice shaken? She was unsure, but the best she could do was apologise and move on.

"Sorry, Alice," she said. She knew it wasn't enough, but it was all she had.

Alice nodded and Rosalie let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding and got back to business. The first thing she did was go into Bella's room.

Alice and Esme followed her into the room and watched as she tipped out draws and searched through papers.

"What are you doing?" Esme asked.

"Looking for anything that might tell us where Bella is now or where she's gone." Rosalie stuffed the files she had skimmed through back into the first draw.

"I'll check her laptop," said Alice, who pulled out the compact computer from under the bed. The screen loaded up, asking for a password.

Alice typed in 'Winter' and the desktop loaded up. _Bella, Bella, you are too predictable_, she thought as she started opening and searching different files.

Esme was stood at the far side of the room, watching them both. She was unsure of what she should do, so she did the only thing a mother could do in the situation. She checked up on her other child.

"Mom?" asked the voice on the other end of the line.

"Jasper, are you okay?" Esme asked. She walked out of the bedroom and into the living room where she started to fluff the cushions and do a general tidy as she spoke.

"I'm fine, but are you?" Esme had hoped her worry hadn't come through her voice, but it had. Jasper had always been able to sense her feelings unlike anyone else could.

Esme hesitated. This was her son she was speaking to. He deserved to know what sort of mess his sister and mother were getting themselves into. Despite the need to tell him, her instincts kicked in. She would rather shelter him from it than inadvertently cause him to become a part of it.

"I'm fine, Jasper, just tired after last night," she finally said. Jasper was aware of what had happened with Jessica, but he didn't know about the private investigator trying to find information about Bella and he didn't know that the couldn't get hold of Bella.

"You don't expect me to believe that, do you?" His tone was mocking.

"I don't know," said Esme, "I just wanted to make sure you're safe."

"There's something you're not telling me," Jasper stated. Esme sighed.

"There's always something we have to keep for ourselves, Jasper, or we'd go mad."

"If things get worse, I need to know." He sounded more concerned than Esme wanted him to. This was Jasper though, and he tried to figure out everyone's problems for them or at least make them feel better about the problems they faced. Esme usually loved that Jasper could be so caring, but this was one time she did not want Jasper to be Jasper.

"We'll talk later, Jasper."

"That wasn't an answer," stated Jasper.

"I wasn't aware of the question." Jasper made a frustrated sound.

"Talk to you later, mom," he said.

"Love you," replied Esme, then the phone went dead.

When Esme returned to the bedroom, Rosalie had been through all of Bella's papers ad found only a small amount of it to be about the genome project. There was also nothing to suggest she had a mark planned today. Alice came to the same conclusion a few seconds later, but Bella rarely stored important information on her laptop or on paper. It mainly got installed into her mind.

Alice looked around the room and her gaze rested on the padlocked cupboard that contained Bella's most dangerous pieces of equipment. She wondered if there might be any paperwork to accompany any of it. She stood up and looked at Rosalie.

"There might be something in there," she said.

Rosalie touched the wood of the door gingerly, as if there was a bomb ready to blow up.

"Does anyone know where she keeps the key?" asked Rosalie.

Alice thought for a moment, then smiled. _Bella, you really are too predictable_.

"I do," said Alice.

"Right then, let's have a look at those toys," replied Rosalie with a grin. Alice was certain she was enjoying this.

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**A/N: Read and review!**

**I've stored up plenty of violence for the next few chapters...and plenty of Edward and Bella...but that's all I'm saying. Maybe. Push me and I might give up something...or I might sic Edward on you.**


	24. Ch24 Sticks and Stones

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer!!!**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter, they were amazing!**

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**Chapter 24 – Sticks and Stones**

Alice was unsure of where the thought had come from, but she was certain it was where Bella kept one of her most important possessions. It seemed fitting that it was with another of her important possessions. Logic at its best.

She pulled Winter the polar bear off the bed and gave him a squeeze, feeling around for signs of a small piece of metal shaped to fit the padlock. She found nothing searching that way, so instead she looked for any seams that might open. Winter was wearing a small, blue t-shirt that had been custom made at a teddy bear factory. Alice had thought the idea as being cute, but wholly not something Bella would do without an ulterior motive. She grabbed a pair of nail scissors from the bathroom and ripped the t-shirt off Winter. There was the sound of a small thud, barely noticeable unless you knew what you were looking for.

She dropped the teddy and got on her hands and knees as she searched the carpet. A small sliver of sunlight was coming into the room through the drapes and it hit the key. The glint of it caught Alice's eye and she picked it up.

"This better not be the key to her old locker at high school now," remarked Alice, trying to make light of the situation. It was all she could do to prevent her mind from wandering where she didn't want it to go. She handed the key to Rosalie. For some reason, she couldn't find the courage to open the padlock herself. The thought of invading Bella's privacy, even to help her, was not something she was fully concerted with.

The padlock opened and Rosalie removed it. Alice expected there to be some kind of beating drum to count down the time before the big reveal. It had been months since Alice had seen inside the cabinet, and she was unsure of whether she wanted to look inside it now. Regardless, she watched as Rosalie pulled open the doors, revealing the inside.

Attached to the back of the cabinet were a sniper and two shotguns. Ammo for the guns was everywhere. There was Bella's inner pants holster resting on top of another collection of bits and also a case containing four of her six knives. It let Alice know that Bella had gone out armed with two knives and at least one gun.

The bottom of the cabinet could be pulled out like a chest of drawers. Each draw was filled with ammo.

_You can never have too much ammo_, Alice thought sarcastically, knowing full well that it was shoes.

"Right, let's shift all of this and have a look for anything. A card, a piece of paper, anything," said Rosalie, already tipping out one of the draws.

Esme's hands were shaking as she rummaged through one of the drawers, but for a woman who had rarely been involved in violence herself, she was handling it all very well.

"At least she has a carrying permit for the Glock," Rosalie stated a few minutes later.

She then started putting things back where they had been. There was no sign of anything that could tell them where Bella had gone.

"It must have been an immediate call out, unplanned," Rosalie said.

Alice felt a lump lodge itself in her throat. "She did look anxious when she met us at the hospital. I thought it was from hunting Jessica's shooter, but she's never been that anxious before. Maybe she got a call then? Her eyes were distant. I didn't...she would have told me if it was something...but it was bad, I could see it."

Tears stung her eyes and she blinked rapidly, trying to dispel them.

Rosalie crouched on the carpet and put one of her arms protectively around Alice's shoulder. Esme had the other side covered and was whispering that everything would be alright. Rosalie wasn't quite so soothing because she was unsure if everything would be alright. She trusted Bella and Bella's instincts, but it was the other person she didn't trust, the one who had called her out.

Without thinking about it, Rosalie plucked her phone from her jacket and dialled the one number she expected never to have to call for such a situation, but now she had no choice.

"Hale," he said. The annoying tones of Jacob Black swirled around her mind.

"Black," Rosalie almost hissed.

"To what do I owe the honour, the last time we spoke, which was barely three hours ago, you wanted me to back off your bitch."

"If anyone's a bitch, Jacob, it's me," retorted Rosalie.

"I know that. So what's up?" Jacob had stopped trying to tease, which meant he was more interested in what Rosalie had to say. It made Rosalie think better of him.

"I think we might be able to come to some kind of arrangement. Bella's missing, I need to know everything that you know."

"What's in it for me?" asked Jacob. She could hear the traffic and knew he was in his car.

"Information."

"Pass," replied Jacob.

Rosalie snapped. "Listen to me you little bastard, this is a matter of life and death, and I fucking mean life and fucking death."

The other end of the phone went silent and Rosalie wondered if she had actually managed to shut up Jacob Black. She doubted it, but she believed she'd shocked him.

"Bella's alive," he said shortly.

Rosalie felt her body go numb and the cell phone slipped from her fingers like butter. She stood, frozen by her thoughts and by her fears. Blood was rushing to her ears and she felt as if her eardrums might burst. She took in a deep breath as more air left her body.

_How would he know if Bella was alive or not?_

Bella's room started to blur around her, and her mother's face was in front of her own like a distant dream. Esme's mouth was moving but no words were coming out.

_Or can I just not hear them?_

"Rosalie, Rosalie, are you alright?" She heard it this time and tried to reply, but her tongue suddenly felt like sandpaper in her mouth. She could see Alice slightly further behind, holding the cell phone to her ear now, her arms flailing about frantically as she spoke to the person on the other end of the phone.

_Who was that person again?_ She thought. Then everything rushed back to her and she drew in a heavy breath before her legs collapsed beneath her.

"Rosalie, what happened?" asked Esme.

"I'm fine," Rosalie said, her voice hoarse and barely above a whisper. "Pass me the phone."

Alice hesitated, unsure of whether it was a good idea, but she could see Rosalie's body language begin to change from weak and broken to defiant and confident again. She was getting over the shock and replacing it with practicality. Alice gave her the phone.

"Jacob, what do fuck do you mean she's alive?"

"I'm in my car now, following her."

"But she didn't take her car, her car is still with Alice's," said Rosalie. She was certain she had seen it before she entered the building.

"No, she's in someone else's car. A man is with her. They just came out of a coffee shop and are turning down the street to her apartment now. They'll be back at the house in five minutes, if that."

Relief sank into Rosalie, but it didn't wash over her. It entered her through every pore slowly, letting her savour the feeling.

"Thank you," she said sincerely, although she was unsure why. Then suddenly, she was listening to an empty dial tone.

There was a knock at the door, followed by an "I'll get it," by Esme. Rosalie knew who the person would be.

A small smile found its way to her lips and she rose up onto her feet. The phone was still clutched in her hand like a rock, keeping her stable as she walked through to the living room. A small inch of doubt seeped into her mind and she just had the time to think, "Why would Bella need to knock?" When the door was thrust open and a gun was pointed at Esme's head.

"Nobody fucking move," said another man, who was pointing a second gun directly at Rosalie. The cell phone slipped from her hand, but this time, the shock was for entirely different reasons.

~*~

"The first time I saw you, I didn't peg you as the assassin-type," stated Edward. He was driving his car, his eyes firmly fixed on the road. Bella wondered what had suddenly given her the right to speak to 'friendly' Edward now. Was she, in some confusing, messed up way, now considered to be Edward's frend?

She doubted that. It was more that she was the enemy of his enemy and therefore safe until those factors changed.

"Most people don't," Bella replied after a while as she stared at the road passing by. "I think it's the fact that I'm a woman."

"No," Edward said, "It's not that. I think it's the fact that you look delicate."

Bella frowned. "I'm not delicate." She could see the amusement glint Edward's eyes, but it wasn't the cold amusement of a killer, just plain amusement. Friendly, even.

"I said you look delicate, not that you are. People often mistake that of me, too. It's strange how people think handsome guys are above killing people."

Bella snorted. "Way to blow your own trumpet." She didn't disagree with him though. He was handsome, and she wondered how she could have missed that before. His jaw was strong and masculine, his eyes a mesmerising colour that drew you in until you were sinking with no hope of escape. She didn't mind that. His eyelashes were also thick, making his eyes stand out even more, although they looked darker than they were, framed by the black.

His hand went to his hair, a gesture that Bella now realised must have been a habit, it drew her eyes upwards. When his lips started moving, Bella found herself watching them in fascination, until she realised she had been staring at his face.

She blushed, hoping Edward hadn't realised.

The curve of his lips let her know he had and she blushed harder, feeling the heat creep up her neck. Edward laughed then, a bass sound that was joyous, a sound that you would expect from a child with no inhibitions. Bella doubted he laughed like that a lot so she savoured the sound until he stopped.

"What were we talking about?" Bella asked. Edward smiled again, a twinkle in his eyes.

"I'm not sure. You made me lose myself," he mused. _I never lose myself_.

Bella turned her attention back to the road then and for a brief second, was certain she saw a familiar face in the wing mirror. She looked more closely, behind the red Corsa and saw a black Sedan. She turned her head to see out of the back of the car. Her eyes hadn't been deceiving her.

"We're being followed," she said. Edward's lips set into a hard line and his eyes lost their sparkle. He was suddenly the dangerous man Bella had forgotten about again. His eyes looked almost black with the expression he showed.

"I'll keep an eye on him for a few more yards, if he is, we'll stop the car down a side street and you get out." Bella heard the click of a safety on a gun and looked down to see Edward holstering one.

"You aren't planning on shooting him, are you?" Bella asked in surprise, although she knew she shouldn't have been.

"Is that a problem?" asked Edward, although by his tone, it sounded to Bella like he didn't care if it was.

"I know him, you can't just shoot him!" she replied. Edward grinned and it was a grin that she would have said looked like he was thinking nefarious thoughts...she knew he was.

"I've shot people I know before, there isn't a rule, Bella. Why should I be selective?" Bella was caught for a moment when he said her name, it made her heart beat a touch faster. She was positive he hadn't said her name like that before, there was now a slightly different intonation to it.

She did something unprecedented then and kissed him. It was a quick kiss at the side of his mouth so she barely felt his lips. She was back in her seat before he could even digest what had happened.

As soon as it had happened, Bella wanted to take it back. She knew it was stupid of her to have tried it, but it was as if she had no control over it. It was as if it was a primal instinct, an instinct that was ingrained into that part of the brain that had been around since before her earliest ancestors could walk on two legs. It was though, wasn't it? Lust was a primal hunger, a basic instinct.

_But you have better control than that_, she thought.

"If that was supposed to persuade me, you'll have to try harder," Edward said. Bella kept her eyes averted from his, but she was pretty certain he still had his face set in an icy expression.

Bella had a few different answers to retort back at Edward, but what she said was, "Just drive to my apartment and I'll deal with him there."

Edward was smiling again and Bella didn't know what to make of it. She was certain he had a multiple personality disorder at the least. It would just be like her to lust after a crazed psychopath.

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**A/N: Want more? Then you'll have to review.**


	25. Ch25 Calling Card

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer! Seriously, if it was written by me, Bella would have carried a gun.**

**Shout-outs to: EclipsedbyJacob, Lady Dragona, WereWolf1010 and Andie. And thank you to everyone reading this monstrosity.**

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**Chapter 25 – Calling Card**

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit_, thought Rosalie. Her gun was like a weight beneath her jacket and her hands were itching to grab it. She knew, however, that going for the gun would result in Esme dying, and then most definitely her and Alice dying.

Her brain was telling her that the men were dangerous, and it wasn't just because of the guns they were holding. Their faces held something that Rosalie rarely saw and that was pure, concentrated evil that had nothing such as conscience to get in the way. She doubted that the men would keep them all alive longer than they had to and she doubted the death would be as simple as a quick shooting. Regardless of that fact, Rosalie was also aware that the more time she was given, then the more time she could try and escape. If she died now, Esme and Alice would be left to these bastards and she just didn't find that acceptable.

"Hands in the air, both of you!" Rosalie raised her hands slowly, as if she was facing a poisonous snake and any sudden movements might be cause for attack. She glanced sideways, seeing Alice doing the same.

One of the men hurried out of the door with Esme in tow and all Rosalie wanted to do was keep them both in sight. _Please don't split us up_, she thought.

The remaining man was shorter than Rosalie and had dark brown hair that was cut short. His eyes were a deep brown. His gaze flickered between Alice and Rosalie.

"Where is Swan?" he asked.

"You're not the only one who would like to know," Alice said sharply. Rosalie tried to control her face so she didn't give anything away. Alice seemed to be controlling the situation and she was lying better than Rosalie would have been able to. Then it dawned on her, Alice and Esme didn't know Bella was on her way home.

"Well, I'm sure she'll be willing to find out where her friends are. Both of you into the van out front; scream, and I'll shoot you."

Rosalie let Alice go first, purely because she would rather have the gun at her own back than Alice's. She watched the man pull a card out of an inside pocket of his jacket. He threw it on the floor inside the apartment and shut the door behind him. Rosalie noticed he was wearing black gloves. For some reason, it made the whole situation seem worse.

She walked down the stairs after Alice, wondering what Bella would make of everything. She sent a silent prayer to god, although she rarely did. She wondered why most people only asked for his help when they were at the end of their tether yet never prayed at any other time. Was it desperation? Was it the last ditch attempt at salvation after you've realised that you're going to hell?

_Please, God, help Bella murder these bastards_.

~*~

Edward pulled up right in front of the apartment building. Bella wondered whether she should complain, but she had more pressing issues. If the worst that happened was that Edward got a ticket, then they'd be doing pretty well. Bella also doubted that Edward was the sort of person that would be willing to move his car if someone asked him to, just out of spite.

When she got out of the car, she let her gaze flicker to the surrounding area. The black Sedan that had been following them was nowhere in sight. Bella assumed that Jacob was parking somewhere hidden. It was the worst thing he could be doing, but assuming the worst was a good way to spare yourself from getting killed. She was suddenly on the sidewalk, opening the door as Edward walked over.

"It's a nice building," he stated nonchalantly. Bella saw his right hand disappear beneath his jacket. Her pulse sped up and, somewhere in her mind, she was wondering whether Edward was what he said he was or whether it was an elaborate plan. Her own hand subconsciously went to her Glock. Just touching the metal made her feel safer.

Edward had noticed the action, but Bella expected him to. If he hadn't, he wouldn't be so good at his job.

"Having second thoughts?" he asked in amusement. The fact that he found it funny chilled something deep inside of her.

"No," she protested, her voice just above a whisper, "But I don't trust you. I don't usually let people be back up if I don't trust them."

Edward's lips curved slightly more. "From what I've heard, you don't let anyone be your backup and you certainly don't trust anyone."

"That's not true," Bella hesitated, Edward was leaning in close to her, so close that there was less than an inch of space between them and she could feel his breath on her face. She gulped and stepped back. "I trust myself."

"What are your instincts telling you?" asked Edward. A couple walked passed them on the street, laughing, unaware of what was happening underneath their noses. Bella wanted to flail her arms about and scream for help, but it wasn't something she was willing to do. The other assassins would laugh at her if she did that, and one of those just happened to be stood in front of her with a smirk plastered across his lips. But he was already laughing.

"That you're a very dangerous man," Bella whispered, but anger was starting to crack her fear. Edward's eyes became the empty, cold balls of glass that they had been in the car. It was as if there were two people living in his body and certain answers and actions would trigger the emergence of the dead, empty killer and others would bring forward the killer, but there would be other things that hinted that he was so much more. It was this that intrigued Bella—that drew her to him despite who he was.

_I must be suicidal_, she thought, but still, she entered the building ahead of Edward.

Once inside, she kept her back to the wall and slid up each step slowly, bracing her knees and back. She kept her hand close to her gun, but she didn't draw it. There were other people who lived in the building and she didn't want to alarm anyone if she didn't have to. People would be on their way home from work now and the last thing she needed was a visit to the police station.

She held her keys tightly in her left hand so they didn't jingle as she pushed the key into the lock, she even crouched low and when she turned to ask Edward to do the same, he already had. She felt her lips curve into a faint smile. She might have been unsure about Edward, but one thing was clear, he knew what he was doing. He wouldn't be cannon fodder.

Another thought passed her mind and she couldn't help but think of how sexy he looked, crouched by her door in khaki-coloured combat pants and a dark jacket. Part of her—scratch that—all of her, wanted to see what was under that jacket and t-shirt.

The only thing she could do to take her mind off it was to turn to the task in hand.

The door creaked open slowly and Bella crawled into the room. She took cover behind the sofa and drew her gun, although she wasn't sure why. Alice and Jessica should have been in the house. Their absence had caused her to overreact.

"There's no-one here, Bella," Edward said. She slowly got to her feet, holding the gun steady in her hand. She spotted a phone on the floor and she knew it wasn't Alice's. Alice's phone was a pink Nokia with stick-on diamontes all over it. This thing was sleek, shiny and silver—simple but expensive-looking. Bella picked it up and turned it over. The phone was still on. She pressed the auto-dial button and waited to find out who the last caller was.

"Hello?" said the voice. Bella recognised it. It was a teasing voice, a voice that belonged to a man she had met in a car park.

"Jacob," she breathed.

"Bella?" he sounded shocked. "What are you doing on Rosalie's cell?"

_Rosalie's cell?_ Bella thought. Edward moved closer so he could listen to the conversation.

"What...I...When did Rosalie call you?" she asked, trying to keep her head clear, but alarm bells were pounding at her, threatening to fill her with panic.

"About five minutes ago. Look, is something wrong?" he asked, sounding concerned. Bella doubted it was concern for her though.

"I have to go, but if you value your life and your precious Sedan, you'll get the fuck away from my apartment."

"I'm not—"

"Bullshit, Jacob. You're talking bullshit." Bella's anger was starting to grow like rapid fire, but she was glad. Ever since her father had died, anger had been a comfort. It had warmed her when no-one else could and also shut her away from her emotions, letting her go to a place deep inside herself when she felt like she might break. It was the same part of her she frequented when she killed. Despite it sounding unhealthy, she thought it was better than panic and if she had anyone to be angry at at that moment in time, it was Jacob. Although Jacob was not the only one who made it onto the list. It was a growing list; she hoped that she could shorten it soon.

"Let me help you," he asked in a voice that sounded like he was talking to someone on a ledge, sixty feet above the ground.

"I don't need it," she retorted harshly. She didn't need anyone to be condescending and patronising to her, she made her own decisions and was not going to be pushed into false friendship.

"What if I said I know where Jessica is?" Bella nearly dropped the phone. If he knew where Jessica was, then that also meant he knew where Alice was—and also Rosalie.

She was about to ask 'where?' when she remembered what Jacob was. He was a private detective and therefore a pain in the backside at least.

Edward grabbed the phone from Bella in a quick swipe that she wasn't anticipating. She reached for the phone, but Edward had already disconnected the call and turned off the phone. He kept it in his hand so that Bella didn't get any further ideas. He was keeping temptation just out of reach.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Bella asked. Despite the shock, her anger hadn't yet relinquished its fight.

Edward pointed to a card on the floor and Bella looked at it in confusion. It was pink, with a black border. There was no lettering on the side of the card she was seeing. It reminded her of something she'd find on the front desk of a salon.

"We don't need Jacob, we already know where they are," said Edward. Bella knelt down and picked up the card carefully, as though it might transform into something nasty if she wasn't delicate with it.

She flipped it over. In simple, black lettering, it read:

_Denali._

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**A/N: hehe...Read and review!**

**Next chapter has some violence (I know, I know, I've never warned about it before but there we go) and it pretty much escalates from there. Don't blame me for nightmares. (I'm only kidding, it won't give you nightmares. Only seeing me naked would do that, and I have no intention of ever letting that happen.)**


	26. Ch26 What Would Bella Do?

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Thank you for last chapters reviews! **

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**Chapter 26 – What would Bella Do?**

Jacob listened to the empty dial tone for a moment as he wondered what the hell was going on. First, he had met Bella on a car park where she wanted to kill someone who had shot her friend, then he followed her to the hospital and waited, when she came out and drove to where he presumed was her home. He had called it a night then and gone to his own flat. In the morning, he had found her walking down a street, her face set into a cold mask. He noticed how it flickered to fear in her tone. It was the one of the things she had trouble fully controlling.

The information he had found in her file had been interesting. It had listed her father's death and also the incident with a serial murderer/rapist. After that, the file was almost empty, as if she had somehow gone underneath every single radar that existed. Although he hadn't found what he wanted from Bella, he didn't give up. As if by pure luck he spotted her in the cafe with a man who sent his senses screaming and he had followed them.

Rosalie's phone call had been frantically edged until she knew Bella was safe, and then there was Bella, acting in a similar way. Something was happening that connected Bella, Jessica and the man with Bella. He was certain of it. By the sound of Rosalie's voice and the warning she had given him, it was apparent that she was also aware.

But now Rosalie wasn't at the apartment, and Bella would have known it was Rosalie's phone if anyone else had still been there...his mind was running on, drawing him to a single conclusion.

_Kidnap._

~*~

"The Denali's? I thought it was the Volturi!" screamed Bella. She wasn't being so delicate with the card now. Her fury had washed away any careful thoughts as she bent it between her fingers and thumb.

Edward didn't admit that he too thought it was the Volturi. He pried Bella's fingers off the card and had a closer look at it. Whilst his attention was elsewhere, she stormed past him and ran to her bedroom and locked the door behind her. She could hear Edward moving towards the door, and she waited for him to start banging on it like Alice always did. He didn't though. He just stood outside the door and waited patiently.

Bella turned her attention to the room. Winter was not positioned on top of her pillow like he usually was and he wasn't wearing his t-shirt. Bella felt her heart jump into her throat and her stomach churned. She did not want to come to any conclusions about what could have possibly happened. She had to be calm, and the only way to do that was to be cold.

She drew in a few deep breaths to settle her racing heart and she let her mind empty of thoughts. She pictured nothing, and nothing to her was blackness. It was a blackness that was thick and empty, like a starless night. Once her mind had filled with darkness, she opened her eyes, which had closed as soon as she had started to picture the dark. The room was now just a room that she slept in. Emotions were no longer held in her possessions, they were simply hers because they were in the room.

Her practicality sent her straight to the cabinet containing weapons. She found the key that opened it on the floor. She opened the door and looked inside. Nothing was missing.

"Bella, how long are you planning to be?" asked Edward in a tone that someone would use if they were waiting to use the bathroom. His voice told Bella that he wanted her to hurry up. She could see why. They had a job to do.

Edward had let her grab both her guns out of the car, and one had been close in her shoulder holster. The other was in the inner pants holster resting at her lower back. She put extra clips into her shirt pocket as an extra security blanket. She had lost two knives in the woods, so she added two new ones to the shin sheaths and made a mental note to order some more as soon as she could. Custom-made orders took a while.

The big guns at the back of the cabinet were staring at her and she thought that it would be easier to grab one of those. Her cold practicality told her that it wouldn't get her far though. She sighed and locked up the cupboard again and went back over to the door. She unlocked it and stepped out.

"I take it you weren't having a breakdown then," stated Edward, seeing the emptiness of her eyes staring back at him. For an instant, it made him wish he had killed her, but that thought was replaced by an emotion he wasn't sure he understood.

"Just because a girl locks herself in her bedroom, it doesn't mean they aren't doing something constructive," Bella retorted. Some of the coldness swept away from her eyes. She couldn't hold onto it as well as Edward could.

"Right then, let's go and find out what the hell is going on," Edward said. "I've got some new toys to try out anyway."

Bella couldn't help but find herself falling away from the cold dark she had put herself in. Interest stirred in her. "What kind of toys?" she asked.

"Dangerous ones," Edward replied.

~*~

Rosalie had let the men tie her hands up with rope, because she had no other choice. Well, she had one other option, but she wasn't desperate enough to opt for it yet. They had already tied Alice's and Esme's hands.

Rosalie's gaze went to Alice first, who was staring forward but not at the metal interior of the van. Wherever it was that Alice was looking, it wasn't in the present. Esme had her eyes closed, as if trying to block out what was happening. Rosalie thought their actions were pathetic. They weren't fighting against the events that were unfolding. Then Rosalie realised she wasn't either. She was simply sat in the back of a van with her wrists getting rope burns.

The last time she had played victim to anyone, that person had died. Her only regret had been that it wasn't by her own hand.

_If I live through this_, she said to herself, _I'm going to make sure I get at least one of them_.

She struggled in the bindings, but they were tighter than Emmett's lycra shorts. She then started to feel around the walls for something sharp, but the metal was silky smooth and cold to the touch. In frustration, she kicked at the wall and screamed. A panel at the front opened and the barrel of a gun was facing into the back of the van.

"Don't move, Chick-y."

Rosalie bit her tongue. What she wanted to do was shout, "Who writes your fucking dialogue?" and scream some more.

Alice was still silent in the far corner, but her head turned slightly and she gave Rosalie a brief smile. It eased Rosalie's tension slightly but it still confused her. They hit a speed bump that made all three of them leave the bottom of the van for a second. Rosalie cursed under her breath, but the gun that the man had been holding had disappeared back through the front panel.

"Watch where you're driving, will yeh?" said the man in the passenger side.

"I am watching!" protested the driver. He didn't sound too pleased.

Alice slowly shuffled her way up to Rosalie and put her leg along the line of hers—although Alice was a fair few inches shorter than Rosalie.

Alice mouthed 'pocket' and Rosalie found her eyes going down to Alice's jean pocket. She turned slightly, so her hands could slip into the pocket and she felt the tips brush against something cold and metal. She hooked two fingers around what felt like a ring and she pulled. Alice had been carrying a pair of nail scissors. Rosalie quickly turned her back to the wall and closed her eyes, letting her sense of touch lead the way.

She found the pointed end of the scissors and got them rested against the rope, she then started to saw through each fibre bit by bit, hoping that she could get her hands free. She hadn't thought further than untying her hands because that would only increase her panic. She would think about the next step when she reached it, but a little voice in the back of her mind whispered, _if_.

She felt the van jerk to a halt and the scissors cut into her skin. She hissed and dropped them, but triumph washed over her. Her hands were free. She turned her wrists and rubbed her hands, trying to get the feeling back in them. Her gun was still resting inside her jacket. The thugs hadn't bothered to check any of them for concealed weaponry. She had to bite back the urge to laugh.

Her hand went inside her jacket when more light entered the back of the van, almost blinding her.

"Well, haven't we been naughty?" said the man who had called her a 'Chick-y'. Her hands froze, mere millimetres from her gun.

The other man had his gun pressed against the side of her head. He said, "Move your hands slowly to where I can see them."

She did.

The other man took the gun away from her and put it in his pocket. "Looks like we underestimated you," he said.

"We won't be doing that again," said the other one.

The same man jerked her wrist and pulled her out of the back of the van. The other one waited for Alice and Esme to crawl out of the back. In full daylight, Rosalie could see the redness of Esme's eyes from crying. It made her wish she had been a second faster with the gun, but the only person she knew who had a faster draw than her was Bella.

She couldn't help but smile despite her morbid thoughts. Rosalie was in trouble and yet again, Bella would be the one to rescue her.

She didn't like being dependent on others, but she trusted Bella. She trusted Bella with her life.

The man gripping her arm pulled her again. The action sent a shooting pain up her arm and forced her away from her thoughts. They were now walking through a warehouse. Boxes were piled high and in neat, meticulous lines. Rosalie had never been in a warehouse before, but she doubted they should look so clean.

There was a small storeroom at the end of the row they were walking down. The door was a pale grey colour. One of the men unlocked the door and then ushered Rosalie, Alice and Esme inside. He then closed it and locked it. All Rosalie could hear was the click of the door being locked. They were in darkness. The only form of light came through the narrow slits around the door. It was barely enough for her to make out the outline of her friend and mother.

"Peachy," said Alice simply. It made Rosalie turn to her because Alice hadn't spoken since they'd been back at the apartment and just hearing her voice eased tension that Rosalie hadn't been aware she had. It didn't change her worry for both Alice and her mother though.

"What?" asked Rosalie.

"I was being sarcastic. It reminds me of Bella."

"Yes, but Bella isn't here," Rosalie stated.

"No, but if I pretend she is, it'll help." Rosalie scowled, but then realised what Alice was trying to say.

"What would Bella do?" she said, and that phrase made the three of them look up.

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**A/N: Read and review!**

**mwahahaha!**

**Oh, I have some news. I have three options for the ending of this story and I want you guys to vote for one. But there's a catch. I'm not actually going to tell you the options. They are just A, B and C. At the end of your view, put A, B or C...**


	27. Ch27 The Beginning of the Night

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer**

**Thank you for last chapters reviews! Shoutouts to EclipsedbyJacob, Lady Dragona, Werewolf1010 and Revamp_me.**

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**Chapter 27 – The Beginning of the Night**

"_Jessica."_

Her eyes opened and for a second, everything was different, strange, black. Then images became noticeable. There were shapes and colours and her brain tried to process all of them but couldn't. Or could it?

She stopped trying to control her thoughts and let them run ahead of her. She found that she could process the information around her and think several different thoughts at the same time.

_Am I going mad?_ She thought and looked down at her hands. They were bloodstained, the blood barely dry.

_I am going mad_, she thought, but a part of her opened up, reminding her of what she had tried to block out.

She had killed. She had drained someone to the point of death without reason, apart from the burn in her throat and the ache in her stomach. That wasn't the worst of it. The worst part was that she knew she would do it again. The burn in her throat was still there and would always be there. The only thing that stopped her from feeding now was that she was physically full.

The demon had finally taken over who she was and now that she was truly a vampire, she didn't want it.

"_But you don't have a choice."_

Flashes of memory came back to her. She remembered Bella and the genome project that had made her what she now was. Venom dripped from her teeth, bitter and repugnant to the taste. Anger clouded her mind in a red haze that was similar to the animalistic frenzy that had consumed her. She knew another word for that frenzy. It was bloodlust.

The sound of a horn made her glance sideways. She was further from the apartment than she thought she had been. She was watching a liner move through the water as she balanced in a crouch on an iron bridge.

Screams filled her ears and mind, and she was unsure if those screams were hers or not. She looked down and saw people crowded beneath her, smelling enticing as they wondered what the girl was doing.

A cop shouted, "Miss, it will be alright."

She almost laughed. Nothing would ever be right again. Nothing ever was alright. It could be bearable for short instances, but never alright for long.

She rose until she was standing. Wind wove its fingers through her hair and she outstretched her hands, welcoming the embrace. Sirens cut the air below her and a woman screamed loudly, aware of what Jessica was going to do.

"Miss, please, you don't have to do this," said the same officer. She turned her head slightly, looking crazed with the blood that spattered her face, arms and ripped hospital gown. Her legs were covered in dirt and the little sun that was left glittered along her skin. She smiled at the officer who took an involuntary step back. His subconscious knew that this wasn't an ordinary girl, but his conscious mind searched for explanations, unwilling to see what was before his eyes.

She winked at him, turned her face back to the sky and took a deep breath of the air that burned as it went down her throat. She then did something that the police officer didn't want her to do. She stepped off the bridge.

Air raced past her as gravity pulled her body towards the depths below. It all seemed to go in slow motion as she felt the gown billow around her and heard the voices above her.

"Get a boat out there, right now!"

"Lieutenant, she can't—"

"Do what I say or I'll have your fucking badge!"

Suddenly, she hit the water. She had expected sharp, stabbing knives to press against her skin, but there was nothing. It felt like ordinary, warm, bath water. It felt like she had simply stepped into it. Even as she went under she wasn't worried. She didn't need air. Her lungs didn't burn for it.

Her toes touched the sea bed and she waited there for an instant, feeling the caress of the current around her. She then pushed off and began to swim. She had to get away from the havoc that she had caused and at the same time, she had to return to the apartment.

She reached a shore before she even realised it. As a half-vampire, her reflexes and speed were heightened, but as a full vampire, they were even faster. She crawled out of the water, letting the ruined rags she was wearing hang awkwardly on her body. She was clean now, but dripping wet.

A smell assaulted her senses and sent a shiver through her body. Her animal instincts were filling her mind with actions to take, and she was crouched before she even realised she had taken the defensive position. Two figures came into sight. Both wore long cloaks that were a dark shade of grey. The hoods of the cloaks were over their heads, obscuring their faces from view.

Jessica knew what they were by scent alone, but they looked different from how she expected. Becoming a full vampire had removed her from any human radar, because they could no longer hurt her, but now she was visible to worse things. She was visible to things that were feared in the dark. The true nightmares.

"Greetings, young one," said one of them in an upper-class, British accent. He took a very slow step forward and stopped. Jessica took one back and snarled at the danger, but she wouldn't attack them if she didn't have to.

The fact that they were so calm and using such human gestures let her know how confident they were.

The other vampire grabbed the one who had spoken and pulled him back. He turned to her and she lowered her voice, which was pointless as Jessica could still hear them.

The second vampire was a woman who sounded as British as the man, but there was an undercurrent of something else.

"London, do you really think it's necessary to do it so formally. She's a new-born, she does not understand the rules."

"And that, Valentina, is why we have been sent." They stopped speaking and turned back to Jessica in synchronisation.

London stepped forward and lowered his hood in a single, fluid gesture that Jessica almost missed. It unnerved her even more. She didn't realise other vampires could be faster than her. Valentina followed his actions.

"We have come to bring you a warning, young one," said London. Jessica turned her eyes to his, looking at the deep, almost black colour of his irises. His face looked almost feminine with his blonde hair framing it.

"What warning?" Jessica managed to ask cautiously, she was still crouched.

Valentina turned to London angrily and spoke rapidly in what Jessica thought was French.

"London, she had no dominant."

London turned to Valentina. "What do you mean? She must have a dominant, she is a vampire!"

"I can smell it, London, taste it in the air that surrounds her. You can smell it too. Your nose will not deceive you."

London paused for a moment and looked at Jessica as he speculated.

"We will tell you the warning and leave you be. If you do not heed it, we shall be back." Jessica nodded. "Do not draw further attention to yourself. Humans are not to know about our kind."

Jessica nodded again and the vampires turned away. Before they left, Jessica blurted, "Who are you?"

London turned his head and raised his hood. Valentina did the same. "We are the protectors of our race, and also the law."

~*~

"You do realise that Jacob will still be following us," Bella said as she fastened her seatbelt.

"Why do you think that?" asked Edward, but Bella was fully aware that he knew it too. He was just trying to get into her head. It should have made her defensive, but it didn't. It made her smile. That in itself confused her.

"The way he acts. He's impulsive and won't give up. I think it would hurt his pride if he did."

Edward smiled, a small curve of the lips. It wasn't a happy smile or a wicked smile. It was a smile that made Bella wonder what the hell he thought was so funny.

She said as much. "What the hell do you think is so funny?"

Edward looked at her with the same amused expression. "Nothing," he said.

Bella took that as meaning that he didn't want to tell her, and she didn't press for more. She had a gut instinct telling her that it would be easier to get blood out of a stone than it would to get Edward to speak his thoughts if he didn't want to.

"Right," she said in an unconvinced tone. "Back to the current problem."

"Just like that?" Edward asked.

"Just like that," replied Bella.

The black Sedan was out of sight, but she was certain it would emerge from its hiding place when they moved.

"Let's make a detour," Bella said. Edward started the engine and sped off.

They turned down one side street and left on another. Bella had hoped that would be enough to lose Jacob, but he was surprising fast in his own car

"Try the bridge," Bella said, knowing how full of traffic it would be at rush hour.

"As long as you can get us out of it," Edward said. His window was open and the wind was rushing around them, making Bella's hair fall around her face.

"I'll get us out of it if you can get us in it," she shouted above the sound of the wind. She reached for the button that would close the window, but Edward got to it first. Her fingers brushed hers for an instant and she was unsure whether the shock she got was something physical or something she imagined. She withdrew her hand and cleared her throat to rid of the tension. It didn't help. The tension was still there, but they had a job to do.

Edward weaved through the traffic like he had done it before and Bella stored that note away. He forced the car into the line ahead of a row of traffic, resulting in a lot of people sounding their horns. Bella ducked her head in embarrassment and Edward laughed.

"Am I embarrassing you?" he asked her.

Bella scowled at him and said, "You're as bad as my dad," before she could stop the words. She never talked about Charlie to anyone.

The look of shock on her face caused Edward to retreat into his cold, expressionless self. He changed the subject.

"Jacob's further behind than I expected," he said. Bella sat up in her seat and looked back at the line of cars, trying not to think about Charlie or what it meant that she'd said even a single sentence about him to Edward.

She saw the black Sedan trying to get into the line, but Jacob was having trouble because he didn't want to risk damaging the car. Edward hadn't been so cautious, but he had got into the line easily.

They were on the bridge now and Bella found her eyes going to the water. It looked peaceful, but she knew that the worst of what the depths held was not noticeable from looking. Despite knowing this, it didn't stop her from wanting to swim in the water, or dangle her legs in it. She glanced at Edward, seeing the curve of his nose and the pout of his lips. It was funny how she thought exactly the same of him.

Edward stopped the car in the middle of the heavy traffic and got out. Bella gave him a startled look as he walked round to her side. He tapped on the window and she wound it down in confusion.

"I said I'd get us on if you get us off," he said.

Bella wasn't aware that he meant literally. More horns beeped behind them. She unfastened her seatbelt and slid into the driver's seat. Edward got into the passenger side.

"I hope you realise I'm not entirely happy about driving right now," she said as she eased the clutch.

Edward laughed again.

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**A/N: Read and review!!!!!!**

**Next chapter we're back to Alice, Rosalie and Esme. We'll be getting some Edward and Bella in action soon too!!! Oh, and the Jessica thing was relevant for later...**


	28. Ch28 Spur Of the Moment

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer!!!**

**Thank you for last chapter's reviews!!!**

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**Chapter 28 – Spur of the Moment **

"We need something to get up there with," Alice said as she blindly fumbled through the room. She'd never been in a situation where she'd had to rely on her sense of touch over her eyes before.

"We could climb up the shelves, but they probably won't be able to hold our weight," Esme suggested, finally finding her voice as she realised she couldn't just stand or sit around and pray. They had to take matters into their own hands. Esme also felt terrible for appearing so weak in front of her daughter, but Rosalie was no longer a small, defenceless child. The day was proving that to Esme.

Alice got an idea. "If I stand on your shoulders, Rose, I might be able to push out one of those tiles."

"It's a good job you did gymnastics, Alice, because otherwise I'd refuse."

"Even if it's life and death?" questioned Alice.

"...It is life and death," replied Rosalie. Alice let out a shaky breath, wishing Rosalie would have kept that little remark to herself. She knew how bad the situation was, but that didn't mean she had to be reminded of it.

Alice got onto Rosalie's shoulders blindly and rose slowly, getting her balance. The ceiling was lower than she expected as her head brushed against it. She reached out her arms and felt along the sides of the tiles that were held in place by a network of beams. It made Alice smile. It meant she could just push the tile and it would move. She pushed upwards and then pushed the tile further along the narrow tunnel that was provided. It reminded her of an air vent, but she knew it wasn't.

She gripped her arms and pushed her body into the space.

"Who's going next?" Alice asked.

"Alice," Rosalie said in a disbelieving tone, "If you think we are going to get up there then you have some serious issues to deal—"

"—I'll do it," Esme said. Alice smiled.

"Mom, you're seriously not thinking about this," said Rosalie.

"You used to stand on my shoulders when you were little, the least you can do is return the favour."

"Take off your shoes then," Rosalie said, half sighing in defeat. "I've seen the heels you're wearing."

Alice gasped. "I've also seen them. You can't expect her to leave behind a pair of Manalo Blahniks can you?"

"We're about to die and all you care about is shoes?" Rosalie said in disgust.

"A girl has to have a hobby."

"Right then, once Esme is up there I'll throw up the shoes." Alice smiled and was soon met by Esme.

She helped Esme up and moved along the tunnel to give Rosalie room to climb up.

Suddenly, Rosalie heard footsteps that were running towards them. Her gaze went upwards automatically and caught sight of a small red dot attached to a tiny camera.

_Shit_, she thought. "Esme, give me your arms, they're coming back," she shouted, not being able to control the panic in her voice.

She grabbed for Esme's hands and they slipped away with the perspiration that was covering them. She wiped her hands on herself and grabbed for Esme's hands again. This time, she managed to keep her grip. Her feet found their footing on one of the shelves, but she knew she had to keep moving or it would tip over.

"Alice, a little help," Esme said, her voice strained with effort. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins as she and Alice hoisted Rosalie up.

Rosalie rested her arms against the top of another tile and pushed her body up with her forearms. There was a sound of jingling keys and the door burst open as her legs vanished from the room. A light switch was turned on and it was quickly followed by the sound of a gunshot. The first bullet pinged against the ceiling, bursting one of the tiles close to Rosalie's legs.

"Go!" she screamed at Alice, who shuffled along on her hands and knees as fast as she could. Esme followed and Rosalie tried to keep her calm at the back as bullets rained around her.

A tile in front of Esme exploded into drops of plaster, separating her momentarily from Alice. She shuffled around the empty space, narrowly missing a second bullet.

_They'd rather kill us than have us get out alive_, she thought. The panic was so great that her heart hurt.

Rosalie was moving so quickly that she caught up to Esme. They turned the way Alice had gone, but were soon being charged at by Alice.

"They're in the other room too!" she shouted above the sounds that were threatening to burst her eardrums.

Rosalie's mouth set into a determined line and she pivoted round, taking the lead. She moved faster than Alice and Esme because she trained four times a week at the gym. She had done ever since the night when she was cornered by James. She had also started to attend self defence classes shortly after the training started.

She could see another room through a small gap below her and there was no-one in it yet. She had a moment to weigh up her options, a moment where her conscience fought against her instinct for survival. If she took the exit, she might be able to get out, but then that might leave Alice and Esme to die. Her other option was to stay where she was, trapped like a mouse in a toilet roll tube with a cat at each end.

She made her decision, kicked at a tile and jumped through the gap. This room was full of boxes and the door was already open, allowing light to pour in from the large warehouse. It was as if the room had been deserted after their escape. She heard voices and hurried behind a stack of cardboard boxes.

"Pink penguin, check storeroom three. If we have all three covered then they're trapped. Over."

"Roger that. Over and out."

Rosalie held her breath as a man came into the room. He looked very ordinary from the angle she saw. He was wearing faded denim jeans and a tank top that showed the slight definition of his arms. He was also about the same height as she was, but he had the advantage of a gun. From the way he was holding it, it became apparent that he was new to the job. He held it in one hand at stomach level as he searched the room.

When his back was completely to Rosalie, she crept out of the shelter of boxes. _It's now or never_.

Her hand came down sharply at the back of his neck in a chopping action, causing the man to fall to his knees. Rosalie kicked at his arm, causing the gun to fly away from them and she tried to grip his neck. She hadn't hit him hard enough and he forced back an elbow, causing her to move backwards. He then attempted a roundhouse kick that got him nowhere as she ducked and footswept him. He thudded to the ground and she pressed her foot against his neck. His hands moved slightly, as if he was considering throwing her off.

"Don't even think about it," she said. His hands went limply to his sides.

"You'll never get away with this," the man said.

"We aren't in a movie and if we were, I believe that line would belong to the hero aka me." She knelt down, finding the pressure point on his neck. She squeezed it until he stopped struggling and went limp and unconscious.

She picked up the gun which was slightly too big for her hands, but a gun was a gun and she wasn't going to leave the room unarmed.

"Pink penguin, what's the sitch?"

"Pink penguin?"

Rosalie had a moment for her tension to build up and a single thought to pass through her mind before footsteps were coming her way.

_Shit._

She saw the red LED light on her chest. She dropped the gun she was holding and raised her hands in the universal sigh for 'I'm harmless, don't shoot me.' She knew it would have worked better if there wasn't an unconscious man at her feet.

There were four men in front of her, one training the gun on her and two training guns on her mother and friend. The fourth man went to 'Pink Penguin.'

"He's out cold," the man said to the others. He then turned to Rosalie. "You knocked him out cold."

She knew that, but she didn't want to point it out. "I always wanted to go out with a bang," she said instead.

~*~

"We're off the bridge and we've lost Jacob. I think you can drive now," Bella said. Edward had his head rested against the seat and his arms folded behind his head. He looked comfortable.

"You're doing a pretty good job," Edward said and did a mock yawn.

"I hate you," Bella stated simply, although she found it hard to stare at him for more than a second at a time. She was partly glad she was driving right now because it meant she didn't have to resist the urge to look at him. Instead, that urge was taken away by the fact that she had to look where she was driving or they'd crash.

"Funny, a lot of people say that to me," he said in a jokey way, but Bella doubted it was a joke—more a statement of fact.

She turned down another street and parked up. She took off her seatbelt and opened the door, doing exactly what Edward had done to her. She tapped on his window. He wound it down.

"This isn't funny," she said when she saw the mischievous glint in his eyes. It was better than the razor blades she sometimes saw.

"I think it is," he replied.

"You want to solve this as much as I do, and I also want to rescue my friends. If they die, I'm holding you personally responsible. I might not have many qualms about my own safety, but for them, I do." Anger filled her eyes, making them shine with invisible fire.

Edward faced those eyes without so much as a blink. It made Bella's anger subside, because she knew she wouldn't win against him, no matter how hard she tried.

To her surprise, he said, "I'll drive, seeing as I know where the Denali's building is."

It was his subtle way of saying, "Fine." She smiled then and jumped into the passenger seat as Edward walked around the car. She wondered why he didn't just slide into the driver's seat, but for some reason she found herself thinking, that would be very unlike Edward.

They reached the Denali building in little to no time. Edward parked the car down a backstreet where he was certain it was well hidden and then he proceeded to arm himself.

A gun went into a shoulder holster and one went to his back. He put a hat on that had been underneath the back seat and a knife went into a sheath that ran down his spine. Bella was certain he had more things on him, but she didn't ask. Instead she found her eyes searching him—both in a sexual way and searching for any signs of concealed weaponry.

They walked along the street and Edward took her hand. It almost made her jump, but Bella regained control of herself, dismissing it as nervous tension. Edward leaned in close to her and whispered in her ear.

"We'll act as a couple until we get into the building and I'll plan it from there." Bella just nodded, too aware of his breath on her cheek.

They walked along the street and Bella saw the Denali building again, but this time from a pedestrian's view point. The building was tall and looking up at it gave her a sense of vertigo that had her wondering if she was on solid ground or just as high. Edward's hand squeezed her own, reminding her that her feet were safely and firmly grounded.

Where the Volturi building had reflective mirrors covering the outside of the building, the Denali building had white concrete that looked nothing like concrete. It looked as if the building had been dipped in glue and then glitter. There were also large, glass walls on the side of the building that faced them. Bella could see people in their offices above her. She thought about working in one of those offices, being so exposed to the passersby. She was glad she didn't have a job like that. Unsurprisingly, every person in view had their make-up, hair and clothes pristine.

They walked into the reception area, still hand-in-hand as the woman at the front desk looked up. She had a smile on her face, but when she saw the look in Edward's eyes, the smile faded around the edges.

"Mason," she said simply, in a polite voice that made Bella think she should work in a call centre.

"I need to speak with Tanya, Siobhan," he said, leaning his hands on the desk. She reclined further into her chair. Bella thought she was a very intelligent woman if she sensed the wrongness in him.

"Tanya is unavailable today," she said. "Fully booked, in fact." She was writing something on a notepad that Bella suspected was doodling.

"Right," said Edward, and that one word made Bella think the shit was about to hit the fan—if it hadn't already.

In a swift motion, a derringer was in Edward's hand and he was marching through a corridor. The receptionist looked mortified and Bella hurried after Edward. He pushed open the door that led into Tanya's office and Bella followed him in. Tanya was sat behind her desk, speaking on a phone. Edward pointed the gun at her.

_So much for a plan_, Bella thought, drawing a gun herself.

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**A/N: Read and review!**

**I'm going to see Harry Potter 6 tomorrow! **


	29. Ch29 Identified

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer!**

**Thank you for last chapter's reviews! Special shout-outs to: Lady Dragona, EclipsedbyJacob, SophieRosalieHale and cenazlilbabeethug!**

**This chapter is dedicated to EclipsedbyJacob and Lady Dragona, who I think personally deserve medals.**

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**Chapter 29 - Identified**

Tanya Denali ended her call and placed the phone on the desk. She clasped her hands in a way that showed off the very vivacious red of her meticulously painted nails. She smiled in a way that told whoever was watching her that she was thinking thoughts that were spicier than a vindaloo curry.

Bella was perplexed. There was a man pointing a gun at her and she sat there like it was nothing.

"Edward," she said simply. The tone made Bella lower her gun for a moment. It made her forget about being armed because it was such a sultry voice. She raised the gun again and tried to keep her mind empty, but aware.

"Tanya, where are they?" asked Edward in a cold, dead voice.

"Who?" said Tanya, tilting her head to one side.

"Tanya, don't fuck with me," he said. Bella saw the bed out of the corner of her eye and thought that it was the wrong thing to say.

Tanya must have thought the same, because she let out a short burst of laughter.

The door opened behind them and Bella knew things had turned upside down in seconds. Men inched through the room, guns pointed at Edward and Bella.

"Drop the guns or we shoot," said one of them. As much as Bella wanted to kill Tanya for taking her friends, she didn't want to die for it. If she died, then she wouldn't be able to ensure her friends were safe. Her gun went to the ground and she put her hands on her head quickly, like she'd done it before.

Unfortunately, Edward didn't feel the same way as she did, he held the gun firmly.

"We could see who's faster," he said. "I bet I could shoot her before you could shoot me."

Tanya stood up then. Her moves were graceful and sensual.

"Put down your guns boys. I don't want Edward shot, it contravenes health and safety." The men hesitated.

"But he'll kill you," protested a guard.

"I have no doubt about that, but as he said, I think he's a better shot than any of you. Let's keep the body count down, shall we?"

The men holstered their guns. Bella now felt stupid. She was the only one in the room with her hands on her head.

Tanya came round the front of her desk and sat on it. One leg crossed over the other, flashing a bit more thigh than Bella would have been comfortable with showing. Edward still had a firm, two-handed grip on the gun. It made Bella wonder how he could have maintained the position for so long. Even in a two-handed grip the lactic acid starts to build up and your hands start to waver. Edward was like stone.

"Seeing as Edward is intent on shooting me, I'll speak to you," Tanya said to Bella.

Bella lowered her arms slowly.

"Why have you both come in here accusing me of taking people?" Tanya asked. Her voice sounded unwelcoming now, and impatient.

Bella reached for her pocket, causing some of the guards to unholster their guns. Tanya raised a hand and they paused, all eyes on Bella as she reached for her pocket. She thought it was stupid how they were more concerned with her actions than Edward's. She pulled out the calling card and held it in an outstretched hand. Tanya took it and examined it like a twenty dollar bill.

"This isn't mine," she said simply.

"Tanya, it has Denali written on it. We came back to an empty apartment and that card was what had been left."

Tanya smiled in amusement and cocked an eyebrow. "Think logically about this, Bella. If I kidnapped your friends, would I leave behind my own card?"

Bella hesitated, then Edward spoke, "Yes, Tanya, you would."

Tanya sighed and leaned over her desk. She opened a draw and pulled out a stack of business cards. They were white, with 'Denali' written in red, flowing writing. It was completely 'essence of Tanya.'

"These are my cards," she said. "And I don't take hostages. I'm pretty simple in my methods, it lowers the paperwork. This,"—she held out the fake card—"probably belongs to someone who schemes, who plans, who possibly hasn't got a good sex life..."

"You're saying that it was probably who we thought it was?" Bella asked. Tanya shrugged, but there was a moment of knowledge in her eyes that told Bella she had her suspicions of who it could be.

Edward lowered his gun, making Bella turn his way.

"The card colours," he said, "remind me of a business owned by the Volturi." Bella thought back over her memories. She scowled with uncertainty, then it clicked.

"Macabre Night," she said. Edward nodded.

"Well then, there we go. It was a complete misunderstanding," Tanya said hotly.

Bella felt heat rise up her neck and she turned to follow Edward out of the room.

"Bella," Tanya said in an almost enquiring tone. Bella looked at her. "I want to ask you something."

"What would that be?" asked Bella.

"What's your secret?" Bella looked on in confusion. It made Tanya laugh and she scowled even harder.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Tanya got off the desk and walked over to her, although walking could mean anything. The way Tanya walked was a cross between a stalking predator and a stripper.

She leaned close to Bella and put a cupped hand to Bella's ear as she whispered, "I've been trying to get into his pants for ages."

"We're not...we haven't...we aren't going to—"

"You're secret's safe with me," Tanya said, then she began to slink back to her desk.

~*~

Jessica was shaken from the encounter with the other vampires, but it didn't stop her from doing what she had to do. They had given her a warning and a second chance. She doubted they gave chances freely, although Valentina sounded like the fairer of the two. Pushing back that thought, she ran, using her speed to its full potential so none of the humans would see her. She needed clothes and her memory took her back to her own flat. It was in a rundown part of the city, where children hid away in abandoned buildings and druggies were constantly looking for their next fix.

It wasn't from lack of money that Jessica was living in such an area, far from it, she had lots of money. She had lived in the area to hide. Most people who lived there were hiding from one thing or another, and so had she. She had been hiding from humans who she believed would be trying to find her after she broke out of Newton's lab, but now she couldn't hide. The things that were chasing her were far too dangerous to hide from.

She entered the block of flats through an upstairs window and she crawled through to her room. She got a pair of jeans and a t-shirt out of the wardrobe and put them on. She brushed her hair as well, and tried to make herself look ordinary. The effect was ruined by the crimson colour of her eyes, but she was more concerned with her control.

Just thinking about blood made her throat burn, but the need to feed hadn't consumed her again yet. She wondered whether the desire would lessen over time or whether she would be forced to feed daily—forced to murder daily.

She pushed the thought back left her room. On the way down the concrete steps to the exit, she saw various characters. She held her breath and walked out.

Strangely, Bella's apartment was fixed in her memory stronger than her own place, which made her wonder what had happened before she blacked out.

She entered the building and walked human slow up to Bella's apartment. She knocked on the door and waited. There was no answer. She used her keen hearing to listen for heartbeats, but again, there were none. The apartment was empty.

She breathed in deeply, taking in the residual scents she could, but they were difficult to reach from outside the apartment. She broke the door and let herself in.

Human memories assaulted her senses. She remembered the apartment, but not how it was. It had been pristine, but now it looked like something had happened. She moved through the rooms. In the kitchen there were coffee cups left out and in the living room a vase had been knocked over.

Bella's bedroom door was open. She'd never seen the door open before. She walked in and moved forward. The room's main smell was of Bella, but the second strongest scent was one that Jessica remembered very faintly, as if the person had been a passing stranger. Underneath that was Alice, and the scent of the woman who had gone to the hospital with her—Esme. There was another female scent that she remembered, but like the other scent, it was as if she had come across it briefly on the street.

She swallowed back venom and kept her mind away from feeding. She would hold it off for as long as she possibly could.

Her fingers brushed against the wood of the cabinet and images flashed in front of her mind like a fast-forwarding movie. She saw Bella take out knives and she saw a man with her. She let go of the cabinet and the images stopped. Bella had been arming up. There had been a struggle somehow. The only conclusion Jessica could think of was the Volturi.

She had been very careful with what she knew and she hadn't told Bella any of it. She had planned to, but after being shot, she just didn't want to risk more lives. Now, however, it seemed that her silence had been for nothing. Either way, she saw Bella getting hurt and she was powerless to stop it.

_Or am I?_

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**A/N: Read and review! I really like to know your views on this...thing!**

**Oh, and I know the Jessica thing might seem tedious, and the Jacob thing, but they're both important later!**


	30. Ch30 Bigger Badder Better

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer!!!**

**Here's another one!**

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**Chapter 30 – Bigger, Badder, Better **

"I can't believe this," Jacob said in exasperation as he waited in the queue of heavy traffic on the bridge. They had almost stopped moving entirely, but worse than that, he'd lost his quarries.

It was then he realised that the traffic had, in fact, stopped moving. It was early evening and the sun was starting to go down. He wondered what was happening, just like everybody else was. A few people had gotten out of their cars and Jacob followed suit.

He weaved between the cars as he reached the crowds that had gathered. Police cars had cut off a section of the bridge and officers were holding back the crowd. Jacob pushed his way through as much as he could and his eyes followed the gazes of everyone else.

There was a girl standing on one of the beams at the top of the bridge. She looked crazed, as if she had escaped from a mental asylum. She also looked ghostly and there seemed to be a shimmer surrounding her—or was that her skin?

Jacob squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. He was tired and stressed. That was what was wrong with him. He opened his eyes again and the girl had her head turned to the police negotiator. _Was she smiling?_

Then she stepped off the bridge as if she was walking down a step. Screams erupted around him and his own ears started ringing. The body had plummeted quickly, faster than he would have thought. He expected things like this to happen in movies and not real life, but now it seemed that that protocol had been breached.

_I should have taken an office job,_ he thought before he turned and ran in the direction of his car. He was unsure of what had just happened, but everything seemed to be connected to Bella Swan.

~*~

"Right, Mr Assassin," Bella said as she got back into the car. "The Volturi building or the nightclub?"

"I prefer Edward," he said, giving her a stare that tingled down to her toes.

Edward drummed his fingers against the steering wheel in consideration and Bella watched him, looking for any signs that he might have come to a decision. She told herself that was why she was looking at him, but deep down, she knew that wasn't the entire story. She also felt like Edward was hiding something from her, and although she felt like that with most people, there was some part of her that insisted he was. She wanted to ask him outright what he knew about the Volturi that she didn't, but instead, she kept her mouth shut.

"We'll try the club first," he said suddenly.

"Why?" Bella asked.

"I know the layout of the club better and it seems like the lesser of two evils. If we're going to try the Volturi's core, I want to be better prepared, but there's no point wasting time on extra firepower if we don't need it."

"You can never have too much firepower," said Bella. Understanding flickered in Edward's eyes and a ghost of a grin appeared on his cold, assassin chic face.

"I suppose you can't, but the point is, they have your friends."

Bella knew what he meant by the statement. He meant that her friends could be being tortured as they spoke, or dying, or even dead. If they weren't already dead, then time was of the essence. She swallowed back bile.

"Why do you care about my friends?" Bella asked.

"Would you believe me if I said, 'I don't know'?" was Edward's reply.

"No." Bella was firm.

"Not just a pretty face," remarked Edward. Bella shrugged, unsure of how to answer. She didn't know whether to take it as a compliment or an insult.

They arrived at Macabre Night minutes later. The doors had already opened and there was a bouncer manning it. It seemed that despite the behind the scenes problem, it was business as usual. Bella looked down at her clothes. They were dirty and crinkled. She doubted they would let her into the club looking how she did. Edward looked much cleaner, but he wasn't exactly wearing clothes for a night out.

"They'll never let us in," she said.

"Who said anything about going through the front door?" replied Edward. There was a wicked glint in his eyes that betrayed the emotionless, empty face he was trying to achieve. He was enjoying the hunt too much, Bella could see that. She doubted he ever had to face a real challenge. This, however, was different.

"How are we going to do this then?" she asked, feeling the weight of her weapons.

Her heart was in her throat and she found it difficult to hold onto the practical killer inside her. The situation was too close to home. Her friends were somewhere in that building, or another Volturi building, and she was certain they wouldn't remain unharmed for long—that was if they were unharmed. She gulped, trying to rid of the lump rising her throat.

"There's a side entrance that doesn't get used often, but I'll bet money on it that they have a guard or someone on it," Edward said conversationally.

"Would you bet your life on it?" asked Bella.

"We are betting our lives on it," Edward replied. Bella couldn't argue with that.

"So we go through the side entrance, then what?" asked Bella.

"I haven't thought that far ahead yet, but if we can get our own hostage, then we might be able to bargain for your friends."

Bella snorted. "What sort of hostage are we going to be able to get that will be important enough to trade for my nearest and dearest?"

"Alex or Jane."

The words meant little to Bella. She looked at Edward blankly.

"They are the co-owners."

Bella's mouth dropped open. "How the hell are we supposed to get one of the co-owners of a Volturi-owned business? Especially now?"

Edward shrugged. "We'll come to that when we get to it. One problem at a time."

"If we can't get a hostage, that's going to leave a lot more problems, Edward," Bella chided. Edward's glare made her wish she had kept her mouth shut.

"I'll deal with Jane, or Alex, or both. All I want you to do is cover me," Edward said.

Bella found that she trusted Edward to do what he said he would do because he was just that good. Bella was unsure of why he was trusting her to cover him. She was nowhere near as good as he was. It was a huge compliment.

"I can do that," she replied seriously. She tried to keep her mind completely blank. It was the only way she was going to be any help to Edward.

They got out of the car and moved stealthily. There were security cameras up on the building. Bella drew her gun and clicked off the safety in a fluid motion. She had it in a two-handed hold, pointed to the sky. She could feel Edward behind her, but his movements were too quiet for her to hear. It should have made her uneasy, but it didn't.

She found herself pressed flat against the wall by the side of the door on Edward's orders. Her gun was trained on it like a target. She let out a breath, and with it, any part of emotion. She wanted to hold anger, or vengeance, but she knew it would only impede her. Instead, she let it all go, leaving her empty and cold and practical.

Edward's eyes were mirrors of her own and he nodded, pushing open the door. Bella dropped to the floor and rolled as a gunshot flew high above her. She wanted to look for Edward, but instead she concentrated on taking down the man raining bullets around her. She was glad he wasn't aiming at the ceiling though, because then the bullets would literally be raining over her. They would come down at the same speed they went up, too. Gravity wasn't always a pleasant thing.

Her gun was aimed at the man's chest, but he moved a second before she pulled the trigger, causing her to shoot his shoulder. His gun dropped from his arm and as it landed, shot off again. It went through the door. The man in front of her was screaming in pain and Bella sighted down her gun with her finger ready to pull the trigger.

Edward chose that moment to emerge from the shadows of the dark hallway. He foot swept the man and kept hold of his other arm at the elbow, twisting it so that an extra bit of pressure would snap the joint. Bella eased her finger off the trigger and lowered the gun. As much as her instincts told her Edward was a dangerous man, she did not want to shoot him.

_See, I'm not a sociopath_, she told herself.

"Where's Jane?" Edward asked, leaning into the man slightly more. The man cried out in pain.

"She'll fucking kill me, she'll fucking kill me," he said in a whimper.

"What makes you think we won't?" asked Edward. His voice was like ice.

"I think you will, but I think the need to find Jane will keep you from killing me," said the man. It was the wrong thing for him to say.

Edward leaned in closer so that Bella could no longer hear him speaking to the man. She remembered her job was to watch his back, and her gaze fell away from him. Her eyes were scanning the area and her gun was ready for any movement that was not hers or Edward's.

"Either way, you will die tonight," Edward whispered. "You're right that I need information, but there are worse things than dying."

Edward leaned enough pressure on the arm to break it. The man's scream was cut off by the floor.

"Where's Jane?" he asked.

"She'll fucking kill me," the man said in a muffled voice.

"And you believe torture is worse than death? Death is easier, believe me." Edward grabbed the man's hand. "Which finger should I break first?"

"No, please, please."

"Tell me where Jane is and who she is with and this can all stop." As if to reiterate his point, he snapped the man's index finger.

Bella's gaze reverted back to Edward. She could see him pinning the man down, and she could hear his whimpers, but that was all. She wondered what Edward was doing to the man and she also wondered why no-one had run into the corridor yet. Was the club noisy enough to have hidden the screaming and gun shots?

"I could get out a knife," Edward said. "I'm sure you'd rather have broken bones than bits cut off..."

"Please, don't," said the man.

"Tell me and it can all stop."

"She's in the second office with Alex and three personal guards."

"Thank you," Edward said, easing off the man. The man let out a relieved breath, then Edward pressed his gun against the man's head.

"B-but you said you wouldn't kill me," the man said, his voice becoming so high that it shouldn't have come out of his mouth.

"No, I said the pain will stop," Edward said and pulled the trigger.

Bella had heard the man pleading and seen what Edward had done. Doubt crept into her mind and her conscience was loudly shouting at her.

Edward started moving down the corridor and Bella followed. She wanted to remain silent, but she couldn't.

"Edward, how could you do that?" she asked, her voice becoming emotional.

"Do what?" Edward said. Voices echoed ahead and Edward pulled her behind a pile of boxes.

Bella lowered her voice so that it was barely a whisper. "How could you torture him? How could you do that?"

She felt pressure at the back of her eyes and knew that she wouldn't be able to stop the tears if she let them fall. She bit her lip.

"If I didn't do it, then we would have had to waste more time. If I didn't do it, it could have been the difference between life and death for your friends."

Bella knew this, and it was partly what was eating her up inside. "I know," she said.

"You'd have done the same," he said.

Bella opened her mouth to protest, but closed it again. Her best friend was in danger. She would do a lot more than break a few fingers if it would ensure Alice's safety. She stayed silent.

"Are your emotions going to get in the way of this?" Edward asked. "If they are, I'd rather not have you at my back."

Bella licked her suddenly dry lips. This was more important to her than it was to Edward. It was personal for her and as much as she wanted to be the empty killer that Edward wanted her to be, she knew it was more difficult than that. All she could do was try her best. She knew it might not be enough, but it was all she had.

"I won't get in the way, Edward," she said, directing her anger at him. Her voice was callous.

Edward let his lips curve into a small grin. "I'm glad you said that."

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**A/N: OO-ER!**

**Let me know what you thought of that! More to come!**

**Thank you for last chapter's reviews!**


	31. Ch31 Premeditated Violence

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer!!!**

**Thank you for last chapter's reviews!**

**Okay, here it is!**

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**Chapter 31 – Premeditated Violence**

To humans, the primary sense is sight and secondary to that is touch. For Jessica, scent was closer to sight and sometimes ahead of it. The scents of the apartment were filling her nostrils, but she could pick out Bella's individual scent. She could also pick out the man's.

She was unsure of what had happened when she touched the cabinet, but she didn't dwell on it. She didn't know if it was because of her newly improved vampirism or whether it was because she knew there were more important things to be thinking about.

She caught the trail of Bella's scent like a ribbon blowing through the air. It was faint, but she could detect it. That was all that mattered. She turned towards that scent and stalked after it. When she got out of the residential building, she ran.

~*~

The voices waned and Edward stood up. Bella followed his actions without question. She trusted her own judgement and therefore trusted his. They moved up the corridor, keeping to the left wall. Bella made herself as small as possible so that she was a smaller target. It decreased the chance of her getting shot—if the guards were amateurs, anyway. She doubted that the guards with Alec and Jane would just be muscle. She expected them to be more.

Shots fired to the left of her and she knew it was Edward's gun that had been fired. Hers was pointing forward without her even having to think about it. She wanted to draw another weapon for extra comfort, but it was much easier to shoot two-handed than it was with one.

There was silence after the shots, but Bella was uncertain of what was happening. She hated being unaware in dangerous situations. This was as dangerous as they got.

"Why did you shoot?" Bella hissed.

"To make them come out. As soon as they do, shoot at them."

Bella wanted to say something like 'Gee, you think?' but instead, she said, "What if they know it's a trap?"

Her question was answered with more shots and more figures. She dropped to the ground and started shooting. She wanted to look to Edward to see if he was getting into the room, but she couldn't take her eyes off the shooters. A shot went wide and then her bullet smashed into one of the guards faces. He was down, giving Bella a second to see how many more there were.

There were three. Two were shooting at Edward and one was trying for her. She sighted down her gun and it hit the man square in the chest. Shock filled his face, as if he couldn't believe what had happened before he fell. Bella turned her gun to the other two. One had a pump-action shotgun. _Shit_, she thought.

She shot at the other man, who had turned his attention to her, but it missed. The man shot at her and she felt the bullet graze her right arm.

The pain was immediate and she almost dropped the gun in her hand. The shot was a minor injury in comparison to what could have happened and for that reason alone, she gripped the gun tighter, feeling blood rush down her arm.

She shot at the man. It clipped his shoulder and he fell back. The one with the shotgun turned on Bella. She pulled her own trigger, only to hear the sound of an empty chamber. Her heart was in her throat. The man facing her smiled. That was, until his arm went flying away from his body. Edward had shot off the arm.

Blood spurted through the air in a graceful arc and Bella thought it was almost poetic. A piece of art amidst all the horror. Then another shot hit the man in the face. His face exploded into blood, shards of bone and bits that were thicker than blood. It made Bella wonder what was in Edward's gun. She wanted some.

Her second of surprise washed away and she pulled out a clip to reload her gun. Ready, she popped one into the chamber. She knew she'd have to use it.

Edward opened the door that the men had come out of. He kept his body to the side. Bella was on the other side, her gun waiting in her hands. Light suddenly hit Bella's eyes, blinding her for an instant, but an instant was all it took.

A gun was pointing between her eyes and a woman was holding the gun. She had a young face with kittenish features. Her lips were curved into a smile that Bella didn't think could fit onto such a delicate face, but it did and that was what she found scary. As much as she didn't want to take her eyes of the figure before her, she had to know what sort of position Edward was in. His gun was pointed at another man's head. He had the same blue eyes and nose as the woman but his mouth was a little less delicate looking. He also had a stronger jaw line that made him look masculine instead of pretty. The resemblance between them both, however, was startling.

"Maybe you might want to drop the gun, Jane. I'm sure you don't want me to kill Alec." Edward's voice was completely neutral as he spoke. It wasn't a negotiating voice, it was just plain, ready for people to decide what it meant on their own.

"But what about Bella here?" asked Jane. The sound of her own name being spoken made Bella's heart thud rapidly.

"Kill her, Jane. Kill her and your brother goes with her." Jane's expression never faltered, but something passed through her eyes that made Bella realise that Jane was conflicted between her loyalty for the Volturi and her love for her brother.

Then Jane's expression changed so suddenly it was like a flick of a switch. She smiled and it made Bella shiver.

"Maybe I can change your mind, Edward," she said

"My, my, you have been a busy girl," Edward stated.

"You think you're the only top predator, Edward. That will be your downfall. We've had someone hunting you since you killed Caius. That person found out all sorts of little treats for us and he wasn't foolish enough to go hunting you, Edward. Aro gives you a free pass this night, because he wants you to face his top assassin. But if you test me, he will just have to give up that luxury."

"You think I'll just leave," he said.

"Maybe. I know what Felix would do, and you are just like him. He lives for the hunt, Edward. The killing isn't the fun for him, it's the hunt. He's always trying to find something more dangerous. I think you feel the same. I think you'll leave Bella here to die so you can pursue Felix, because it's like an addiction for you." Jane smiled.

"Jane, you're wrong," Edward said.

"Answer me now, Edward. You can leave now and fight tomorrow, or you can stay here and die."

Edward smiled, showing his teeth. It made Bella feel frightened but she doubted it bothered Jane. She was listening to the conversation as though it didn't involve her, but it did. Jane was telling Edward that Bella was going to die and she was telling him to choose to live until tomorrow or die with Bella.

"I choose to live," Edward said.

Bella's heart dropped. She could feel the overwhelming sense of despair filling her up like a spreading cancer and she could do nothing about it. The last face she saw before she died would be Jane's and she didn't want that.

"It's a good choice, Edward. You have five minutes to get off my property. There are three new guards waiting to personally escort you away."

"I'm not going anywhere," Edward said, still neutral in tone.

"But you said you chose to live," Jane replied in confusion. Her pretty face started to wrinkle around the edges. It made Bella feel better somehow.

"Yes, I will live. I'll kill you all tonight and go after Felix tomorrow. It's that simple."

Jane laughed. It had none of the sex of Tanya's laugh and none of the mocking of Edward's but where it lacked in those, it made up for in unadulterated malevolence. Bella felt like her heart would stop if she was given more to fear to tend with.

"We'll see, Edward. We will see."

Jane moved further back into the room, but her gun stayed on Bella, her hand never wavering. It made Bella wonder how often Jane had killed. Her own gun was in her hand, but it was lowered. She was certain, looking into the malicious baby blues in front of her, that if she raised the gun, she'd have no face left. She didn't want to die with her brains splattered all over the wall.

Without removing her gaze from Bella, Jane pressed something on the control panel behind her. A number of screens lit up. Most of them were blank, but two of them weren't. Bella concentrated on those images, picking out the features of two women on one of them. It was Esme and Alice. They were tied back to back on two chairs and they had been gagged. There were wires reaching from underneath the chairs. Jane pressed another button and spoke.

"Santiago, move the camera to the right a little more." The image moved and Bella saw the control that the wires attached to.

Bella thought she had felt fear before, but it had been nothing in comparison to what she was feeling now. The fear filled her up and tried to burn her up, but her failsafe rose in defence. Her failsafe was anger. That anger was what she had held onto after her father's death, it was the anger that helped her deal with what she had done to James. It was fuel for her eternal fire. It was hers and it had risen.

Her gaze moved to the second monitor and she saw another of her friends. It was Rosalie. She was tied to a chair, but unlike the other two, her face was bruised and bloodied. There were two men stood on either side of her. She was gagged, but still fighting. Bella grated her teeth. The fire in her mind was growing still.

As if to rub salt in the wound, Jane pressed another button.

"Remove her gag," she said. One of the men pulled the rag from out of Rosalie's mouth. Before he had the chance to pull his hand away, she bit him as hard as she could. He pulled his hand away and the other man slapped Rosalie across the cheek. Her head whipped to the side, following the force and momentum of the hit. She spat out blood.

Jane said, "Speak for us, Rosalie, tell Bella how you're feeling."

"Fuck you, bitch!" Rosalie hissed. This resulted in another slap that reverberated through Bella's body. She felt like it was her who had been hit.

Jane noticed the anger that was growing in Bella, but she didn't care. She said simply, "Rosalie caused the harm, Bella. She would not submit and she still won't submit. It's a shame she doesn't belong to us, she would have been a force to be reckoned with."

"She's not an animal, Jane. She's a person. People are their own selves, they belong to no-one." Bella closed her lips and held them firmly shut, afraid of what else she wanted to say, afraid that she would get herself shot before she could rescue them.

Her anger flashed again, but this time it brought heat to her entire being. It filled her eyes with flames that were tinged with darkness.

Edward saw the look and knew what it meant. Bella turned her head to meet his eyes. He gave her the barest of nods to acknowledge what she was thinking. Her thoughts were the same as his at that point.

No-one involved with what was happening was going to live after the night. They were all dead. They just didn't know it yet.

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**A/N: OO_ER!**

**Sorry, Rosalie!!!**


	32. Ch32 Dangerous Games

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TWILIGHT.**

**Sorry I haven't posted in a while, things have been hectic so I'll try and get up the next few chapters quickly! Thank you to everyone who has left me a review!**

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**Chapter 32 – Dangerous Games**

Rosalie spat out another mouthful of the coppery-tasting flood that was filling her mouth. Her jaw ached and she could already feel her right eye beginning to swell. There was a man on either side of her—hired muscle. She suspected they had records longer than her legs. There was no way an upstanding citizen would do what they were doing, even if the pay was good. They wouldn't know how to hit her with the right amount of force for a prolonged beating either. She was certain they had done this before.

She let her mind run over the events that had led her to this point. She wondered if there was any way she could have prevented it, but she found that she couldn't. Guns had been trained on her, yet she had stupidly fought. They could have killed her, shot her point blank, but they didn't and she couldn't understand why. They had Esme and Alice to act as hostages, they didn't need her.

_They'll kill me_, she thought. _Once_ _they've had their fun_.

She had thought the same of James, but with James she had never thought of fighting. She had fought and tried her hardest to get out of her current situation. She had no regrets that she would die now, because she had tried. She did, however, think about Emmett.

She thought of how people said life would flash before someone's eyes before they died, but Rosalie didn't see her life. Or maybe she did? She saw Emmett.

She swallowed back the lump in her throat. _I will not cry, dammit_. She was certain the bad guys would think it was because of them, but it wasn't.

The sound of a voice through a set of speakers reverberated around her. She knew it was Jane. Jane had paid her a short visit. The only part of it Rosalie was thankful for was that it was short.

"Rosalie, we're going to let Bella decide what happens. She will definitely die this night, but we're going to let her choose who will live. I hope you're ready to beg for your life."

"I won't beg for anything!" she hissed. The man on her left stepped forward with a raised arm. She tensed, ready to be hit.

"Let's have none of that, boys. Not until Bella has made her decision." The man clenched his fist and lowered it in a way that made Rosalie wonder if he had any unresolved anger problems.

Rosalie listened with bated breath.

"Bella, you get to choose. Who do you want to live more? Rosalie or Esme and Alice? Hang on, let me add Esme and Alice to this."

There was a muffled noise before Rosalie heard speaking again.

"Esme, Alice, how are you doing?" Jane's tone was mocking. Rosalie felt her shoulders stiffen.

There was another voice, but this one was quieter.

"Your hospitality sucks, Jane," said Alice. Rosalie was just relieved that they were both still alive, although she desperately needed to hear her mother's voice to confirm it.

"What about you, Esme, how are you?" Rosalie bit the inside of her cheek, which resulted in more pain.

"Where the fuck is my daughter?!" screamed Esme. Rosalie couldn't help it, tears ran down her cheeks in a hot rush. They stung as they hit her cheeks and cracked lips and they cooled quickly. She'd never heard Esme so angry and she'd never heard her curse.

"She's being...entertained."

Rosalie struggled and screamed so deeply that it was a sound that came from the base of her throat and reverberated through her chest.

"Jane, I'll fucking kill you! You better fucking hope Bella chooses me to die, because I will fucking kill you if I get out of here alive! I will have your head in a fucking basket! Do you fucking hear me?!"

The man on her left smacked her across the back of her head. She screamed again and struggled as hard as she could. Another blow hit her nose and she felt the blood run down into her mouth. The men stepped back.

"I think that Bella will be more intelligent. I think she would rather save two lives over one."

Bella's voice hit Rosalie's ears. "I might make an exception if I can guarantee your death." Bella's voice was empty of anything, but it sent a shiver through Rosalie. She knew that voice, she knew it was a hate so deep that it couldn't be heard or seen. She smiled, causing sharp pains to spread through her face. If she died, Bella would kill Jane. She had no doubts about it now.

"Bella, choose now or I'll have them all killed." There was something in Jane's voice that Rosalie couldn't quite make out, but one word came to mind. That word was fear.

Something clicked in Rosalie. It was like a fuse blowing in her mind. It was an instinct to survive. She was tied down, but she could still fight. Little old grannies could lift cars in such situations. She screamed as loudly as she could and kicked with all of her strength and more. Her feet broke free before the men could start hitting her.

She stood up and swung the legs of the chair at one of the men, highly aware that she could only hold them off for so long before they would kill her. _Go down fighting_, she thought.

~*~

Rosalie's scream reverberated around the control room, causing Jane to lower her gun and turn to the screen. It was a mistake.

Bella was suddenly on her, fully aware that shooting her would have been the easy thing to do. She wanted this death to be up close and personal though.

A shot rang behind her. She knew Alec was dead.

"Cover me," she said as she heard the door open. Edward didn't question her. He understood revenge.

Bella kicked Jane's gun away from her and kicked Jane in the face. She didn't go down. She drew a long knife from down her back. Bella pulled out two of her own knives and started blocking blows. She tried to foot sweep Jane, but Jane was one step ahead. The only thing Bella could do was keep herself from getting hit.

The arm that had been shot at was weakening, giving Jane an added advantage. But Bella had something Jane didn't have, and that was a whole-hearted reason to fight. Yes, Alec was dead, but the fact that Jane had been conflicted between the Volturi and Alec showed how far her love went. Bella's love was deeper and didn't just fill her heart. It filled her mind and soul too. It was everywhere.

No-one hurt the ones she loved and got away with it. No-one.

Bella dropped to the floor and stabbed Jane's leg. She pulled the blade away and narrowly avoided a down sweep of Jane's knife. She blocked another stab with her own knives, the force sending an echo up her arms. The deep ache in her upper arm increased. Then her arm spasmed.

She dropped one of the knives. She had one left. She wondered what was happening with Edward, and it was as if she had blocked herself away from everything but Jane. Suddenly, she could hear the gun shots. No-one was shooting their way, in fear of hitting Jane.

Jane slashed at Bella's arm. The blade cut into her skin, but she moved in time to keep the slice shallow. Jane was struggling to move her lower body because of the stab wound in her leg. She was shaking and so was Bella. She wondered what Edward would think of the situation if he saw them. They were both girls, looking weak, slashing at each other like girls exchanging bitch slaps.

She went for Jane's hand and forced the blade in deep. Jane's knife dropped from her hand and Bella picked it up. She pushed it into Jane's chest.

"You cold-hearted bitch," Jane said. Blood was starting to dribble from her mouth as she slid to the floor. Bella followed the movement.

"No, Jane, you're the one with the cold heart. It's lukewarm right now, but in a few minutes, it will be cold. Cold and dead."

Bella pulled her own knife out of Jane's wrist. More blood squirted out, splattering Bella's face and body. She picked up her other knife and kept her eyes on Jane as she wiped the blades on the small, unstained part of her top. She then put her knifes in their sheaths and picked up a gun.

Jane was barely breathing now.

Bella pointed the gun at Jane's head.

"Shoot me," she gasped.

"No," replied Bella, then Jane's eyes closed and her body slumped.

Bella turned in a swift motion and shot at the last standing man. Edward was crouched on the floor. He holstered his gun and stood up. Bella pointed her gun at him.

"Bella, it's Edward, don't shoot." A small amount of tension fell away from her and she slowly lowered her gun. She didn't put it up though.

She turned her head slowly until her eyes met Edward's. He looked concerned. She would have said worried, but she knew it was a word she couldn't quite put with Edward.

"Bella, can you hear me?" Edward asked.

Bella laughed abruptly. It was a sharp sound that she didn't expect to come from her throat. She put it down to stress.

"I can hear you, Edward," she turned to get a quick glance at the screens. Rosalie was failing her attempt, but she was also worried about Esme and Alice.

The conflict showed on her face. Edward said, "I'll go for Esme and Alice. I think I know more about bombs than you do."

It made her smile. Not because she was closer to getting her friends free or because she thought Edward might actually care, but because she wanted to know what Edward had done in the past that made him such an expert on bombs.

~*~

Jessica lost Bella's scent outside a large building with the words 'Denali Ltd' on it. She knew of the Denali's. They were the Volturi's greatest rivals. It made Jessica wonder if Bella had gone to them for help, but she was still disconcerted about the man.

She walked into the building, holding her breath. As much as she wanted to search for Bella's scent, she was certain that smelling anything remotely edible would make her lose herself. Instead, she walked over to the reception desk.

"Can I help you?" asked the woman behind the desk. Jessica leaned against the desk and images assaulted her, as they had in Bella's apartment. She saw the man that was with Bella, and she saw Bella. They walked into a room, the man had his gun ready.

Her eyes opened. The woman was still staring at her.

"You don't look well. There's a toilet down the first corridor on the right, but it's a little bit difficult to reach. Just give me a second and I'll escort you."

Jessica nodded, still not trusting herself to take a breath. At least if she got to the toilet, she could move from there to the room Bella had gone into. The receptionist clicked something on the screen and turned back to Jessica with a smile.

"It's just this way."

Jessica kept her movements slow, human slow. She didn't like moving at such a pace and couldn't understand why the other vampires had. Now that she had the full reflexes and speed of the vampire, she wanted to use them whenever she could. It seemed pointless to waste them.

The receptionist stopped by a door, pulled out a key, and unlocked it.

"We don't get many visitors, so it stays locked for the most part," she said.

"Thank you," Jessica said before she could stop herself. After speaking the words, she took in a breath of air. With it came the scent of blood. The smell alone was like honey on her tongue. Venom dripped from her teeth in an instant and she fought against the bloodlust, even though she knew it was a losing battle.

The demon within her swamped her mind, giving her a single purpose. Kill and feed.

She moved towards the woman gracefully, but it wasn't the grace of a dancer or the grace that some people seem to have naturally. It was a grace that made her limbs move in a way that was inhuman. It would make the watcher feel uneasy, but would also make them gasp in wonderment. They were seeing something ethereal, something that would draw them in and hold them close before it betrayed them.

Jessica did just that. Her arms wrapped around the woman's back gently and the woman didn't know what to make of it. Then suddenly, teeth ripped into flesh, tore an artery and that thick, hot, coppery cocoa was filling Jessica's mouth. She swallowed it down like it was an elixir, and it was. It was her sustenance and her life. It was the only thing that would dull the burn in her throat and the only pleasure she would ever gain.

She pulled away, full and replenished. The body slumped to the floor. There wasn't even enough blood left in the body for any to spill onto the floor. Jessica wiped her mouth and then licked her hand, not wanting to waste a drop.

When her senses were again her own, guilt filled her, making her almost nauseous. She clamped her mouth shut, certain that the horror of what she had done would destroy her. She fled the room and ran down the corridor. Enthralling scents were all around her but she was full and her conscience had precedence over gluttony.

A door opened, and out walked a woman in thigh high boots and a dress so short that there was still a flash of flesh between the boots and the dress. Jessica paused, watching the woman. She had blonde hair cut into a short bob and lipstick that was as black as the dress and boots she was wearing.

"Tanya will be major pissed about that," she said, pointing a thumb back towards the bathroom. "It is Jessica, isn't it?"

Jessica nodded, feeling pressure at the back of her eyes, but she couldn't cry. She begged for the release it would give her.

"I'm Kate." Kate held out her hand in greeting, but Jessica didn't take it.

Kate smoothed back a stray strand of hair with the same hand. "Tanya wants to see you."

Jessica didn't question this, she just followed.

Inside the room was Tanya Denali and another woman. By the pure confidence that exuded the woman in red, Jessica knew this was Tanya. The other woman looked the plainest of the three as she was wearing an ordinary black suit. Jessica could smell the faded scent of Bella in the room.

"Where's Bella?" she asked, her voice sounded more musical than it had before the complete change. Each note was perfect and echoed through the room.

"I'll answer your question if you answer mine," replied Tanya. Her face was impassive but Jessica could hear the steady acceleration of her heart. She was nervous even if she wasn't showing it.

"What's your question?" Jessica said.

Tanya smiled. She said, "Why is Bella so important to you."

Jessica paused, pretending to think about her answer. She didn't need to think about it, because she knew it and she wasn't going to tell Tanya.

"There are plenty of reasons why I need to find her," Jessica stated.

Tanya's eyes widened marginally. "I don't suppose this has anything to do with the vampire genome project?"

Jessica felt her face go blank. She tilted her head to the side, playing dumb.

"We know what Aro has been up to, Jessica. We want him dead and we want the whole damn project dead. Bella and Edward are currently dealing with it, but I think Bella's love for her friends will get in the way. I trust them to an extent, but I trust myself more."

She was leaning on the desk, but she stood up slowly and walked around her desk.

"If I tell you where they are, I want you to promise you will do something for me," she said, her eyes losing the humour and seductiveness that she was known for. Now they were serious.

"Depends what I have to do."

"No, I want your word. I want your word that you will do this for me."

Kate's hand reached for Tanya's arm to try and settle her, but Tanya moved out of her grip.

"Tanya, I won't have you making yourself so prone to vulnerability. How can you believe this thing will keep her word? How do you know if she has any honour?" said Kate.

"She has loyalty, and that is good enough for me." Tanya looked up at Jessica expectantly.

"You have my word," said Jessica. Tanya smiled.

"Bella has gone to Macabre Night to rescue her friends. I don't care if they make it out alive, but if you want to interfere, it's your choice. I do, however, need you to go to the Volturi building." She opened a draw, taking out a 9mil beretta and she started stripping off her scarlet shirt.

"What for?" asked Jessica, watching Tanya put a Kevlar vest on. She put the shirt over the top of it and then started clipping a belt onto her skirt to attach to a shoulder holster.

"Aro took my sister five years ago. I want to know if she's still alive, if she's a vampire, or if she's dead."

"Tanya, you can't be certain about this. Do you honestly think you'll be able to get into the building?" Kate asked, her voice panicked.

"I have to do it, Kate," she said.

"Then I'll come with you," Kate suggested.

"Carmen is coming with me. If we die, you need to be here to continue with things."

Jessica interrupted, "I'll do it." She was unsure she would have got a word in edgeways otherwise.

Tanya turned back with a smile. "Great, maybe we'll see you in there?"

Jessica shrugged and left the room. She could hear the simultaneous snaps of guns being loaded. The games had just begun.

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**A/N: AHAHAHA!!! PLEASE LEAVE ME A REVIEW...THERE MAY BE A TEASER IN IT FOR YOU...**


	33. Ch33 Love is the Word

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer!!!**

**Thank you for last chapter's reviews and to everyone reading this chaos!**

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**Chapter 33 – Love is the Word**

Bella had no idea where her friends were being kept, but she knew that it had to be somewhere on the premises. Edward was moving with determined strides that made her believe he knew where they were. He had seen the plans of the building though, and she hadn't.

When Alice had dragged her along to the club, she hadn't known it was so big. Most of its size was hidden behind the front, away from public view.

"Do you know where they are?" Bella asked quietly, matching Edward's pace.

"They're in the warehouse," he replied. The statement made Bella stop abruptly.

"A warehouse? Behind a nightclub?" Her tone was incredulous.

"This isn't your average business, Bella. They don't make all of their money through legitimate means."

Bella could understand that. It also explained why there was such a high supply of untrained muscle. She wondered if villains would ever learn to hire something better, but she hoped not, it would make her job a hell of a lot harder if they did. The thought also made her wonder if she could call them the villains. She wasn't exactly a saint herself. She concluded that they were, because good people did not plant bombs or beat up innocent women. She would have said good people didn't kill and torture, but she fit into the killing category easily and she would have done what Edward did to save her friends.

Edward kicked open a door and the sound reverberated through the corridor. _I guess we're not going for stealth anymore_, Bella thought dryly.

"The left camera goes to the first storeroom. The right camera goes to the second."

That led Bella to believe Rosalie was in the first storeroom. Just thinking about it made her eager to get Rosalie out of there. Rosalie was the one who had given them the chance to break their own chains. She had caused a distraction.

"Good luck," Bella said as she hurried through a tunnel of cardboard boxes, not wanting to know what could be in them. There was no answer from Edward, he had already disappeared. It should have unnerved her that he could disappear so easily, but it didn't. She knew it was some sort of training he'd done. She wondered if he'd ever been a spook.

She continued up the aisle until she reached the door she hoped had Rosalie in. Her anger was waiting to be unshielded again and she knew now was the time to let it out. She pushed at the door, but it was locked.

"Bella, Bella!" Rosalie screamed. Bella felt frantic upon hearing the voice. It was so close.

"Your little friend will already be dead," said one of the men. "That will be Jane."

Bella aimed her gun at the lock and sighted down it. Her finger pressed the trigger.

"But doesn't Jane have a key?" said the other man. It was too late.

The door swung open by the force of the bullet and Bella fired twice into one man's chest. She turned on the other, seeing fear in his eyes and she shot him between the eyes. He fell back with a thud.

Rosalie stopped screaming and the anger and terror that had been written across her face gave way to a beatific smile.

"It's about time," remarked Rosalie, trying to keep her voice neutral. Her face betrayed her.

Bella pulled a knife out and cut away the ropes on Rosalie's arms. She saw the angry, red blisters on her wrists. They made her sorry that she had killed the men so quickly. She would have loved to have done what they did to Rosalie back to them, but there wasn't enough time. She cut away the ropes around Rosalie's torso and waist and helped Rosalie stand.

Rosalie rubbed her wrists with a pained expression and gently felt her face. In that moment, Bella knew Rosalie would have done worse than beat the men if they were still alive.

"I'd tell you to sit down and rest, but it really is too dangerous," Bella said, noticing Rosalie's fatigue beneath the rage.

"Get me a gun and I'll take my chances." Bella smiled back at Rosalie and fished out a gun from one of the dead men. She held it for a moment. It felt familiar.

"Is this the one I bought you three months ago?" she asked Rosalie.

"Yeah, it's a better fit than the other one." Bella laughed and handed the gun to Rosalie.

She put her arm around Rosalie's waist to support some of her weight but kept her right arm—holding her gun—pointed forwards. Rosalie also had her gun ready. Bella was glad that one of the people she had to rescue knew how to use a gun, but then again, anyone could pull a trigger. Rosalie had some of the highest scores she'd ever seen at the target range. It eased something inside her to know that.

~*~

Edward kicked the door open. It hadn't been locked, but it didn't need to be, not with the threat of a bomb going off. The men looked startled and one of them had their hands on a control whilst the other had a shotgun aimed at Edward's knees. Edward's own gun was pointed at the man's chest—a much better place for it to be.

"Pull the trigger and I'll blow us all into pieces that some other fucker will be scraping off the walls for weeks," said the man with the control.

"Colourful," said Edward. He let his gaze go down to the device. He knew it was bad to take his eyes off the enemy, but he didn't think the man pointing the gun at him was a shooter. His gaze followed the wires that went underneath the chairs and then his eyes went back to the device. The man holding the control was visibly shaking. Nervous of something.

He pulled the trigger on the other man, hoping the man's finger didn't twitch. It didn't. He turned the gun round to the man with the control.

"Shoot and I'll blow us all up," said the man, his voice quaking.

"Press the button or I'll shoot you," Edward replied condescendingly. The man's eyes widened. He'd either realised he'd been sussed or he was acting.

"Are you mad?" he asked. He was acting.

"No, but I'm getting there."

The man pressed the button. Nothing happened. Edward shot him in the chest, making a hole the size of a pizza in the man's torso.

He went over to Alice and Esme and pulled back Alice's gag. She screamed, thinking that Edward was one of the bad guys. He couldn't fault her intuition.

"Shut up or I'll leave you here," he said. Alice stopped screaming and looked at him.

"I've seen you before," she said.

"I'm with Bella. We've come to rescue you." Alice suddenly burst into tears. Edward stepped away from her as if she was going to blow up. Guns, bombs and psychopaths he could cope with, crying women—he just didn't know what to do with them.

He pulled a long, thin blade from his spine and cut the wires and ropes off Alice. He then went to Esme and did the same. Then the blade disappeared, back where it came from. Esme took off her own gag as Edward searched the two dead men for weapons.

"Is Rosalie alright?" Esme asked, worry lines etching her forehead.

"She's alive," Edward replied, because alright she wasn't. Or at least, he didn't think she was.

"Bless you," Esme said. She rubbed her wrists as if they hurt and then wrapped her arms around Edward suddenly. She kept saying, 'thank you' or and over. Edward pried her hands away, wishing he'd gone to rescue Rosalie instead. Being slapped or bitten seemed to be the lesser evil in his mind.

Alice and Esme were in each other's arms. Alice was crying and Esme was making soothing noises. Edward coughed.

"I don't mean to break this up—well, I do, actually—but we have to get out of here."

Alice and Esme nodded. "What do you want us to do?" asked Alice with a tear-stained face.

"I want you to stay low and not get in the way of my line of fire," replied Edward. He could have said something more reassuring, but he liked to tell the truth when he could.

They moved out of the room and found Bella and Rosalie heading up the aisle in front of them. Bella and Rosalie turned, guns pointed at Edward, Esme and Alice. Rosalie's face softened when she saw them and she lowered her gun. Bella did the same, but her shoulders were tense. She was still aware.

A second later, Esme ran to her daughter.

"I thought you were dead, I thought they were going to take you away from me."

"It's okay, mom, I'm right here."

Bella looked at Edward from behind Rosalie and raised her eyebrows. He shrugged.

"You look uncomfortable," she said to him.

"That's because I am," he replied. Alice suddenly attached herself to Bella's arm.

"Alice, change sides, I'm holding my gun with this arm," she said.

Alice laughed lightly. "I've missed you."

"I tell you to get off my arm and you say you've missed me. That makes no sense," Bella said.

"It makes sense to me," Alice replied. She moved to Bella's left side and wrapped an arm around her waist. "You owe Esme a pair of heels and I want compensation."

"How about coffee?" suggested Bella. Her eyes went to Esme's feet as she spoke. All that covered them were stockings.

"That'll do," Alice replied.

~*~

"I swear it, Em, something is going on," Jasper said to Emmett as he paced his flat in a pair of cut-off jeans and an unbuttoned shirt. He'd been waiting around for two hours, since the last time Esme phoned and now he'd just about reached his limit of waiting around.

"Rosalie usually leaves me weird messages, Jazz, but this one takes the biscuit."

Jasper laughed. "I thought you were on suspension," he said.

"I am, but if I start cursing now and get my job back, I might not be able to stop. Besides, I like the novelty of thinking of different words to use."

That sounded like Emmett.

"What was the message she gave you today?" asked Jasper. He started pulling on a pair of socks, certain he'd have to do something. There was something off in Emmett's voice and his own uneasiness wouldn't settle. Esme had come to him shaken and when she phoned him from Bella's house, it was even worse.

"She said, 'I won't be able to make dinner so you'll have to feed yourself. I love you'."

Jasper frowned. "That doesn't sound very weird."

"No, it is. She never says 'I love you' to me. She says that people say it too often and that it loses its meaning. She's only ever said it once before this and that was when she proposed to me."

That was news to Jasper. "I thought you proposed to her!"

"No, that was the official version. In reality, she got sick of waiting for me to pop the question."

Jasper was putting on his sneakers and trying to button his shirt as he balanced the phone between his shoulder and ear.

"So basically, she's in some sort of trouble?" Jasper asked, although he knew the answer to the question.

"Yeah."

"Meet me at Bella and Alice's apartment," he said, ending the call and grabbing a jacket. He also grabbed his keys off the windowsill and hurried out of his apartment. He knew how good a shot Bella was and he knew how professional Rosalie was. If they were in the shit, it was piled pretty high.

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**A/N: Dun, dun, dun...I love those two.**

**Read and review!!!**


	34. Ch34 We'll Be Here

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer!!!**

**Thank you for last chapter's reviews! Sorry I haven't been able to reply to them yet, but I will! I've just been mad busy and just had my birthday... **

**(I hope this makes up for it)**

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**Chapter 34 – We'll Be Here**

Bella was sat in the front passenger seat next to Edward, who was driving. One of her hands was rested on her Glock which was a weight in her hands. It kept her stable. Whilst she was holding the gun, she didn't have to think about anything but business. It was drumming orders into her mind. If she wanted to fall apart, she could damn well wait until the Volturi were dead.

Alice was holding her other hand in one of her own and where the gun was Bella's anchor, Bella was Alice's. Alice's other arm was draped across Rosalie's back and met in the middle with Esme' hand. Rosalie was holding Esme's other free hand in one of her own and like Bella, she had a gun resting in her lap.

The only person who wasn't connected to the group was Edward, but he didn't seem to mind. Bella turned her head to give him a smile. She didn't know if he saw it though, because his eyes were on the road. She stared a bit longer and finally, as if feeling the weight of her stare, he turned his head, making eye contact for a second. He looked relieved, but coldness was still set in his face. Bella looked in the mirror. Her face held the same expression. It wasn't over yet. She wouldn't feel safe until the Volturi were dead.

The lack of conversation was disconcerting to Bella. It didn't usually bother her so much, but being in the same car with Alice usually meant constant chatter. It unnerved her that the usually bubbly girl holding onto her hand was so distant and sullen. There were other things playing on her mind too.

"How did you stop the bomb from going off?" she asked Edward. Her voice sounded too polite, but she didn't mind.

"It was a hoax. The wires were connected to nothing. No juice, no boost. He could have pressed that button all day and nothing would have happened."

"For some reason, I think it's more than that," Bella said.

"You didn't get far enough into the room to be certain," Alice said wistfully. "There could have been another bomb as well."

Bella gasped. "You guessed!" she accused.

"It was a good guess," Edward said matter-of-factly.

"You could have blown everyone up!" She exclaimed.

"It would have solved a hell of a lot of problems if I did." Bella ignored the sarcasm in his tone.

"We'd all be dead!" she shouted, closing her fingers into fists so she wouldn't hit him. She could hit him later, when he wasn't driving.

"Exactly."

Bella opened her mouth to say more when Alice interrupted. "You're squabbling like an old, married couple. The point is that the bomb didn't go off and we're all alive. Isn't that your personal philosophy, Bella?"

Bella felt that Alice was making a snide remark at her personally. She knew it was best to leave the argument alone, but she was stressed and angry. At times like these she tended to pick at wounds instead of letting them heal.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, a hint of ice seeping into her voice.

"As long as you survive, it doesn't matter, right?" Alice said. There was no heat in her voice and Bella was certain she was on the verge of tears.

Saying sorry seemed inadequate, but it was the only thing she had. Just the sight of an unhappy Alice had her feeling bad about her actions.

"I'm sorry, Alice, it's all I can say. I'm going to fix this mess though."

Alice smiled. "I knew you would say that."

Bella smiled back.

Edward shook his head, aware of how the conversation had changed course.

"You two are crazy," he said.

~*~

Jasper leant against the wall outside the apartment building. The sky was a dark blue colour with a sprinkling of stars. He could see Emmett's figure moving closer. He moved away from the wall.

"We'll get up there and they'll be fine," Emmett said in greeting. "They'll be having some sort of girly party."

Jasper knew Emmett believed that as much as he did, but he replied, "Face masks and chick flicks."

They went inside the building, away from the coldness of the street. The steps loomed in front of them.

"You know, Rose prefers action movies," Emmett said as they walked up the stairs. It was his way of reassuring himself when he felt fear.

Jasper kept flicking his eyes behind them, thinking that something would come out of the darkness to eat them.

"Holy shit!" shouted Emmett, loud enough to cause the building to shake. Jasper's head whipped round so he was seeing what Emmett was seeing.

There was a hole in the door which had splintered edges, as if someone had punched their hand through it. Jasper tried to swallow back his heart but it was pounding uncontrollably.

Thoughts ran through his mind. All of them unhopeful. Someone who could have caused damage to the door like they had would have been dangerous, and the fact that they wanted to get into the apartment so badly filled him with even more dread. He felt like he was going to be sick.

"There's no blood," Emmett said, looking at the gaping hole and the floor.

"What did you say?" asked Jasper.

"I said there's no blood. If someone punched this door, they didn't bleed." He turned to Jasper.

"If someone punched their hand through a door, or threw an axe at it, Rosalie would have shot them."

"That too," said Emmett. He reached his hand through the hole and Jasper waited, holding his breath as he watched Emmett do it. The door opened and Emmett walked in. Jasper let out the breath and followed him in.

"It looks like someone's ransacked the place. Still, it's cleaner than yours," Emmett remarked.

"Yeah, but mine's allowed to look like a pit." Jasper looked around, his eyes went to the open door in the small corridor leading off the living room. "That's Bella's room."

"I've never seen it open before," Emmett said. Despite the situation, he had a glint in his eyes. Jasper wasn't as pleased, but he was just as curious.

He cleared his throat. "I mean, we have to check all of the rooms."

"It's not like we're doing something we shouldn't," Emmett added. They paused for a moment, then suddenly ran towards the room like a pair of nosey teenagers.

When they got in the room, they realised it was pretty ordinary. Jasper had expected the room to be like a bat cave, with hidden compartments and a secret lair and he was the unimaginative one. He dreaded to think of what Emmett had been thinking.

The only interesting thing in the room was the cabinet with a piece of paper taped to its front. It said: Do Not Touch. Jasper didn't have to be a rocket scientist to know what was in that cupboard.

"It's locked," Emmett said.

"We need to open it," said Jasper in response. Emmett raised his eyebrows. "I mean, we need to know if anything is missing."

Emmett didn't state the obvious—that they wouldn't notice if anything was missing anyway. "It couldn't hurt to look for the key."

Jasper grinned, mirroring Emmett's expression.

~*~

The car pulled up next to Alice's Porsche and Bella was the first one out. Her gun was in her hand which was hanging by her side inconspicuously. In normal circumstances, she would have holstered the gun, but after the kidnap, she wanted to be extra secure. Her eyes were scanning the street and she paid particular attention to the shadows. Each car became a possible target and each nook a possible hiding place.

Edward was the second person to get out of the car. He had something large in his hands. Bella could only guess that it was some serious firepower. He opened the back door for Rosalie, Esme and Alice, still scanning the area like Bella was.

"We can't stay here long," he said. Bella knew he was going to say that. She could understand why, but she still wanted to protest.

"If they know where I live, they'll know where the people I love live," she said.

"Which is why they're all dead. They just don't know it yet."

Bella turned and moved towards the apartment building. They moved in a single line. Bella was at the front, followed by Alice, then Rosalie, then Esme, and Edward brought up the rear. They were a miniature parade.

She opened the door to the building, keeping alert. She pressed her back up against the wall, tapping her right hand on the wall, telling the others to do the same. Light flittered in through the windows, so that orange glows were suspended in the darkness, looking unreal.

Bella kept her concentration on the surroundings rather than her friends. She trusted Esme and Alice to be able to take cover. She trusted Edward to be able to fight. She was undecided with Rosalie. In normal circumstances, she would trust Rosalie to be able to take care of herself, but she had been through a lot and her judgement wouldn't be how it usually was.

She pushed the thought away as she reached her corridor. A door opened and she saw a familiar face. It was a neighbour. She pressed the gun behind her back and tried to keep her face friendly.

"Wendy," she said, a bit louder than she usually would have. "How are you?" She was hoping that Edward got the hint. She did not want him scaring the neighbours.

"I'm fine, dear, calling it a night. I hope you do the same, you look like shit."

Bella's eyes widened and she tried to shake off her shock with a forced laugh. She'd forgotten she was covered in drying blood, but she was surprised that Wendy had noticed in the dimness.

She waited for Wendy to go back inside her apartment before she walked further down the corridor. She saw her door and turned to Alice.

"Did they put a hole in the door?" she asked.

"No, they knocked on the door." Bella's heart was suddenly in her throat.

"Get down and stay down. Me and Edward will go inside." Edward was suddenly beside her. She was surprised Rosalie hadn't tried to argue to come.

She opened the door slowly and crouched behind the couch. Edward was beside her, his breath on her cheek. She was suddenly very aware of his body beside hers. She swallowed.

"Bedroom," he whispered.

Bella bit back a snort. She was thinking of the same place, but for different reasons. Her senses came back to her and she started to move towards her bedroom, crouching low as she moved, her gun held between both of her hands.

Edward moved around her, going for the opposite side of the door. He turned to Bella and made eye contact, it was the go ahead she needed.

She pushed the door open with her back and stayed low to the ground, her gun was pointed from the left and Edward's from the right. What she saw made her lower the gun. Edward lowered his, seeing Bella's astonishment.

"Get off my knickers," she said in disbelief. Emmett and Jasper had been routing through her drawers to find the key to her gun cabinet.

She shook her head and started laughing, letting all the stress flow away. That laughter soon gave way to tears that she knew she wouldn't be able to hold back. If she tried, she knew they would break her.

When she finally stopped crying, the room was empty. She swiped at her eyes with the heels of her palms and suddenly felt embarrassed. She only ever cried in front of Alice if she could help it. She'd never cried in front of Emmett or Jasper, and crying in front of Edward made her feel weak and fragile. Looking up, she saw Alice standing by the door, hesitant, as if Bella was an injured fox. Was she going to bite Alice for trying to help her or was she going to let Alice tend to her?

Alice walked further into the room and perched beside Bella. Her arm went around Bella's back as she held Bella to her. Bella could feel another pair of arms wrapping around her, and someone pressed to her back. The smell of Estee Lauder perfume filled her nose and she knew it was Esme who was hugging her from the back.

"It's okay, Bella," said Rosalie. Bella wondered where in the group hug she was.

Bella lifted her head slowly, her eyes blurring more now, but for different reasons. She always cried if people hugged her or showed affection to her. She always saw herself as the one having to do the protecting and she felt that because of what she was, she didn't deserve comfort and she shouldn't feel emotions. She tried to keep them locked behind a wall or a shield, but to be able to do that she would have to be inhuman. She wasn't. And for the first time since her father's death, she was beginning to think that crying didn't make her weak. It made her real.

Alice wiped away Bella's tears, brushing her thumbs under Bella's eyes like a protective mother. Esme was stroking her hair softly and Rosalie had her stomach in a vice-like grip. They were all showing their affection in different ways, but the reason for that affection was the same. They all loved Bella and it wasn't just because of what she had done for them. It wasn't just because she had saved them. It was because they loved her for who she was.

A chuckle escaped her throat, but it was replaced by a small keening noise. Bella sniffed and said in a shaky voice, "I love you guys."

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**A/N: R&R!**

**The action isn't over yet!!!**


	35. Ch35 You jump I jump

Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer!!!

Thank you for the reviews last chapter!!! (I managed to reply to them this time!)

On with the...wait, we've had that joke before...

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**Chapter 35 – You Jump, I jump**

Jessica walked through the front entrance of Macabre Nights and into the flurry that was the nightclub. She knew it was probably a bad idea, but it was the only one she had at that time. She felt like she was in a cake shop but on a diet at the same time. She could see all of the delectable pieces but knew that eating one would result in immense guilt and nausea afterwards. She had fed. She just had to hold onto that in her mind. She wasn't hungry. The thirst was there, but not prominent in her mind yet.

Moving through the crowd was harder than she expected. Hot skin touched hers as she moved, but she couldn't avoid the contact. Someone even jumped back as if they had been shocked. They probably had, by the iciness of her skin.

The personnel door was barely metres away and she itched to go through that door and find Bella. She moved to the edge of the dance floor and had a quick glance around at security. She would be able to move fast enough to be undetected, but moving the door would alert someone if they were extremely perceptive.

She decided to take the chance anyway.

She used her full speed to move past the security guard by the door, she opened it and closed it behind her and ran up the corridor. The scent of fresh blood assaulted her senses and she stopped. The coppery essence was around her and her teeth dripped with venom and her tongue begged to taste it. She tried to pull herself away, but she couldn't. Blood that was trapped behind skin and vessel was barely manageable, but blood that wasn't trapped behind anything was more potent in the air.

She moved into a room and saw the dead guards by her feet. All were wearing black-on-black outfits. Guns were spread throughout the room and blood covered almost every inch of surface. Another scent filled her nostrils and they flared in warning. It was a scent that she had tasted before, but there was something slightly off about the scent. Like milk that has been left out for slightly too long. It's still milk, but has an off taste to it. It was sour.

Jessica felt a guttural rumble reverberate through her chest as she turned around. Her limbs moved into a defensive position as she looked at the other vampire. The other vampire hissed at her. It was a warning sound. Jessica ignored the warning and they started to circle each other like sharks. They were weighing each other up, testing the waters before they plunged in.

"Where is Bella?" Jessica asked before another rough sound escaped her throat.

Harsh laughter escaped the lips of the other vampire. "Not here, that's for sure."

"But she has been here." She didn't ask it as a question. She knew Bella's scent lingered in the air like a memory.

"She was here. If she was still here, she would be dead." The amusement died from the vampire's flaming eyes.

"You'd kill her," Jessica deducted. A small smile curved the vampire's lips.

"Of course I would." There was no doubt in the tone.

At that moment, the vampire left the ground. She wasn't flying, she leapt, knocking Jessica to the ground with the sheer force of it. Jessica kicked her legs into the vampire's chest, letting the vampire's own weight carry the momentum.

Jessica was suddenly on her feet, staring at a gaping hole that had been punched through the wall. The vampire was on the other side and recognition flickered in its eyes.

"I know you," she said.

Jessica paused, but was ready for any movement. "How?"

"You were the girl Aro wanted dead. The half vampire. But you aren't half of anything now."

"You work for Aro?" Jessica asked.

"I worked for him," the vampire corrected. "I hope I still have a job. I am as he wants."

Jessica didn't understand this, but it wasn't a problem she wanted to pursue. She already had two main ones, and one of those was the vampire in front of her. She needed to kill the vampire before it killed her.

"Aro wants nothing but power," Jessica hissed in response.

"Perceptive of you." The vampire chose that instant to rush Jessica.

The force pushed them both into the monitoring equipment. Jessica could feel the uncomfortable pressure of glass pressing against her back, but that was all. There was no pain and her skin hadn't been pierced.

One word came to her mind: Impenetrable.

The vampire was back on her feet and Jessica forced blows at her, trying to distract the vampire. The vampire, however, knew how to fight. Neither of them were progressing. They were stuck in a timeless motion.

The very thought of the vampire's actions had Jessica's mind reeling for ideas. She was glad that she could concentrate on several things at once. The vampire was still throwing punches and blows at Jessica and suddenly, the idea hit her. It hit her as the vampire sent a kick into her stomach, causing her to become airborne with the blow.

The vampire was a lab creation, just as Jessica was. What Jessica knew about vampires, she had to learn. It wasn't instinct. The blood that covered her was the blood that surrounded the room like an explosion of ketchup. She hoped the other vampire didn't know that. But by her theory, the other vampire would think Jessica had been hurt by the glass. She wouldn't know that there was only one way to kill Jessica. That way was to tear her into pieces and burn them.

As she hit the floor, Jessica let her body go still and limp. She could feel the other vampire looming over her. She had to stop herself from flinching when she felt a hand touch her, but she managed to play dead very easily. She was dead by medical standards, anyway. Her heart didn't beat and she didn't need to breath. Her skin was icy to the touch. The only way they would know if she was alive would be to hook her up to brainwave monitors, but then she would be deemed a medical impossibility.

She felt the other vampire move away and she waited for a few more seconds before she opened her eyes, surrounded by dead bodies and covered in drying blood. It felt familiar to her.

She got up and hurried out of the room. Bella wasn't at Macabre Nights. That left one other place for her to go. The Volturi.

~*~

Jacob was sat in his car, parked outside a building that was unfamiliar to him, but he wasn't planning on going outside. He needed time to think and plan. He had his laptop out in front of him and he was scrolling through the files he could find on Bella Swan. Her file said she was an English teacher, but upon further investigation, he had found no evidence of a Bella Swan teaching anywhere in the state.

He then emailed a close friend, who the private investigators had on retainer. The reply email was faster than he expected. He exchanged details with the other person and twenty minutes and a cup of coffee later, he had what he needed.

Bank statements and drafts of Bella Swan's account.

Each statement of pay in the last three months had come from Volturi Ltd. He logged on to the Volturi website to see if he could find out more about the company. They were an investors corporation who also owned various businesses around New York. What Bella did for them could have been anything from strip to secretary work.

He clicked on the 'News' link and came to another page of awards and newspaper articles on Volturi Ltd and their businesses. He gave a brief glance to each of the pictures, but one of them caught his eye. There was a man behind Aro Volturi who he recognised.

It was the man he had shot in the car park when he first met Bella. He had just found his link and the possible whereabouts of Bella Swan. His night was looking up.

~*~

Feeling better for the moment, Bella pushed herself up. The smell of coffee wafted into the room and a grin spread across her face.

"Who made the coffee?" she asked the girls.

"Alice," Rosalie said.

"I love you extra," said Bella as they walked out of the bedroom. The first person she looked at when she went into the living room was Edward. He had just finished drinking a cup of coffee and gave her a small grin. He then got up and went over to the coffee maker and filled up another cup.

Bella thought it was funny how comfortable he was in a strange house with people he didn't know. She let the thought slide when Alice pushed a cup in front of her. The coffee was in her favourite mug. There was a picture of Lara Croft and underneath that was the heading, 'Warning: Girl with gun.'

Alice usually tried to discourage her with the mug, but she knew it said how bad the situation was when Alice wasn't trying to argue with her about it.

Emmett and Jasper were like two shadows sitting on her sofa. She blinked, wondering if it was all a dream. She even tried to stare at them, wondering if it would make them disappear, but it didn't. It was all real. By the look on their faces, she knew that they were almost completely oblivious to what had happened. She tried to imagine how they must have felt, to see Rosalie beaten and everyone else covered in blood. They were handling it better than she thought they would.

"I called Carlisle," Alice said, breaking Bella away from her thoughts.

She gripped her coffee mug tighter, glad that the coffee was cool enough that it wouldn't burn her hands, but disappointed because that meant it would be lukewarm and barely drinkable.

"You did what?!" she asked, astonished.

Alice dropped her gaze. "We've all been talking whilst you were in your room." That earned Alice a heated scowl from Bella. "We haven't talked about what's happened. Just that we need to tell Carlisle. We need a doctor, Bella, and if we go to anyone else...Hell, if Rosalie goes to a doctor looking how she does..."

Bella sighed. She didn't want to tell Carlisle anything, but she knew it would eventually come out. She thought he would be disappointed in her. Her profession wasn't something that most people agreed with.

"When will he be here?" she asked.

"About ten minutes. He needs to know everything."

Bella put her coffee mug on the table and stood up. She went into her bedroom and holstered her Glock. She grabbed a shotgun and draped its strap over her shoulder. After what she had already seen, she didn't want to go without one.

She walked back into the living room. "Edward?" she made it a question.

"Bella," he replied and stood up. He started to walk to the door with Bella following.

Alice blocked Bella's way, ignoring the shotgun. "You can't go back out there, you'll get yourself killed!"

Bella glared at Alice, but Alice refused to back down.

"If I don't go now, they'll be better prepared when I do go, or they'll come to us. I'm not endangering you all again. It's my fault that they took you earlier. I'm not going to put you in the line of fire again."

"Bella, don't do this!" Alice screamed at her.

Rosalie was at her side. Bella expected her to protest just as much.

"She's right, Alice. She can handle it. She got us out. I wanted to go, but after what happened today,"—she shook her head—"Bella proved she's tougher than all of us put together.

Alice put a hand over her eyes, as if she was fighting some internal battle that Bella couldn't see.

"Tell Carlisle everything for me, Alice," Bella said.

"You're being a coward," Alice retorted. "You'd rather face a truckload of tigers than your own fath..." The words died on Alice's tongue and a look of shock filled her eyes.

"Carlisle is not my father, Alice. He's been like a father to me, but he will never be my father."

"I didn't mean it like that, Bella, I didn't mean to say that."

"We never mean to do anything. Charlie is dead, Alice. He was killed. He was shot for no reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time—"

"So was my mother, Bella. You always seem to forget about her. Everyone always seems to forget about her. It's always about Charlie. How do you think it's been for Carlisle? His wife died. His best friend died. He had to tell his best friend's daughter that her father was dead. He had to tell his own daughter that her mother was dead. But, no, you don't care about that, you don't give a shit about any of it."

Bella felt a hand touch her arm and she shrugged it off.

"Bella," Esme said in a tone of warning. She was trying to get Bella to calm down, but Bella ignored her.

"No, Esme, I'm not going to just stand here and take that." Bella turned her gaze back to Alice who had tears running down her face. Rosalie had a hand on her shoulder, but it wasn't to restrain like Esme's hand was, it was to comfort. Rosalie was poised, ready to wrap her arms around Alice.

"One day, Bella, you're going to realise how good those guns have been to you. One day they are going to break you. Everything will come crashing down around you and there will be nothing left but death. Killing for life is like fucking for virginity, Bella. You say that you help people by killing bad people, but you proved that not everyone you kill is bad. They might be to someone, but they aren't to everyone."

"Bella." Esme's grip tightened on Bella's shoulder and she could feel Emmett coming closer.

"I hope you aren't trying to bait me, Alice. I love you, but I don't have castiron control."

"Are you threatening me?" Alice asked in complete bewilderment. Her eyes widened.

Edward stepped up in front of Alice, blocking Bella's view of her.

Bella looked into Edward's eyes. They were cold and stern, but they calmed her down. She kew that Alice meant none of what she'd said, even if it had been waiting to be spoken for a long time. She knew they were all under immense stress.

"Sorry, Alice," she said. It was inadequate. She wanted to add 'I love you' but the words died in her throat. She swallowed and followed Edward out of the door.

Alice watched Bella go, feeling grief wash over her. It was like her worst fears were starting all over again. She had watched her mother leave and never come back. She feared that it would be the same with Bella.

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**A/N: R&R!!!!!**

**Thank you!!!!**


	36. Ch36 Taste of Regret

**Disclaimer: Me? Own Twilight? You're having a giraffe!**

**Thank you for last chapter's wonderful reviews! I hope this chapter is good enough for you!!!**

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**Chapter 36 – Taste of Regret**

"We're not going anywhere until you've got everything under control," Edward said. Bella sat in his car, staring at nothing and everything. The shotgun was resting between her knees.

"You probably think I'm emotionally unstable," she said, not meeting his eyes.

He shrugged. "I think a lot of things about you, but that isn't one of them."

Bella looked at him then. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but all Bella saw was a solicitous expression.

"I never give a shit about what people say about me or think about me. It's only Alice and Carlisle that make me do that." Edward's face blanked and Bella wondered if the whole thing was making him feel uneasy. "Sorry," she said, "I don't even know why I'm trying to tell you any of this."

"People do crazy things for love," Edward said. Bella stilled, but realised he must have been talking about Alice. She laughed.

"We all need therapy. Maybe if I take us all in there, I'll get a group discount."

"Or the shrink would chuck us all out like damaged goods," Edward said. Bella thought it was a joke, but his tone was serious.

There was a brief silence in the car and Bella looked out the front windshield. She saw Carlisle's Mercedes and Carlisle driving up. He looked tired and anxious.

"Right, let's go. Drive," Bella said, ducking down in her seat.

"I take it that's Carlisle."

"Yes, now get us out of here. I'm not ready to face him yet. I'd rather go kill something first."

Edward laughed and started the car.

~*~

Alice's face was pressed against Esme's shoulder. Silent tears were falling down her cheeks, making a wet puddle on her top. For once, she didn't care about the state of her clothes. She'd trade everything in her wardrobe to have Bella turn around and walk back through the door and say, "Just kidding!"

She knew it wasn't going to happen, but she could pretend.

"I didn't mean to say all of that stuff," she said weakly against Esme's shoulder.

"I know you didn't. You just wanted her to stay, like we all did. We even want her back now, but we know that what's best for Bella is not exactly what she wants. We could have forced her to stay, but that would have solved nothing. She'd have found a way out. She wants to kill all of the people involved in all of this. She's doing it because she wants everyone safe."

"I know, Esme. I'm just upset that this is the only way."

"I'd kill them all myself if I could. I'd torture every last one of them if it would make us all safe again," Rosalie interrupted. Alice lifted her head and looked at Rosalie who was sitting on the couch between Jasper and Emmett. She had a packet of frozen peas pressed against the left side of her face now.

The look in Rosalie's face was one of pure defiance. Alice knew that Rosalie was strong on the outside, but now she knew that it ran deeper than she had previously thought. Rosalie had tried her damnest to get them all out, and she had paid for it. Both she and Esme had cowered in the face of their attackers, and for that, Alice felt shame.

But there was nothing she could have done anyway. She didn't know how to fight and there were guns pressed against her. She had helped at the hospital because she could. There was one man then and he looked like the victim even though he had the gun. The people at Macabre Nights didn't look like victims. They looked like they didn't care. They looked at her with neutral eyes, as if it didn't matter to them whether Alice died or not. They didn't give a damn.

"I'd resurrect the fuckers who did this and feed them their own dicks," Emmett said, looking at Rosalie. Alice tried to erase the image she got from his eloquent phrase.

Carlisle chose that moment to walk into the apartment. Alice was certain he'd heard at least Emmett's statement and looking at his face, she deduced that he had.

He put down his medical bag and looked around the room.

"I'm going to take this all in one step at a time," Carlisle said, shaking his head. "I'll check everyone over and then I want to know what the hell has happened."

Alice gulped and nodded too fast. She could understand why Bella would be more willing to take out New York's answer to the Italian mafia as opposed to telling Carlisle what her real day job was.

Alice moved out of the way and watched Carlisle move around the room. He started with Rosalie. He cleaned cuts, injected her with something and added stitches to her split eyebrow methodically. He then asked Jasper and Emmett if they had any injuries. He went to Esme and checked the burns on her wrists then checked Alice's rope burns.

He looked at the blood splattered across her clothes. "This blood belongs to none of you," he said. "Where's Bella?"

"It's not her blood, if that's what you mean," Alice said, looking at her hands.

"I didn't think it was, but I'd like to know why an English teacher needs to carry around a gun."

Shock covered Alice's face like a painted mask. She swallowed heavily and said, "I think I need to show you something," before she started walking towards Bella's room.

~*~

They were parked down a backstreet near the Volturi building. Bella's heart was racing but her fear was dampened by her hatred. The shotgun was in her hands, but she preferred the look of Edward's equipment—no pun intended. He had a mini uzi that had a strap that went across his torso so that it rested at his lower back.

"They know we're coming and they know how dangerous we are. There's no point in hiding it," Edward said when Bella raised her eyebrows at the submachine gun.

"They've over-estimating me," Bella said. "I'd rather have them underestimate me so I can pull something out of the bag. You know, the kitten has claws. Instead they're going to treat me like a sabre tooth tiger instead of a leopard."

"You're underestimating yourself, Bella. I think they have you right. They might even be underestimating you."

Bella snorted. "I'm a kitty cat compared to you."

Edward's eyes went serious. "After what I saw in that control room, I wouldn't be so sure. You gave yourself up to the killer inside you then. It frightened me."

Bella wanted to laugh, but by the look in his face, she knew he was telling her the truth. "I take it you don't admit to feeling fear very often."

"I don't feel it often enough to admit it," he said. "You channel that killer and everyone in that building is dead."

Bella smiled, but it was a smile that told anyone who was looking that she was dangerous and her thoughts were dark.

"I think we already established that," she said.

"We did," replied Edward.

"Good. Now let's go hunting."

~*~

Alice opened Bella's cabinet slowly, as if waiting for an explosion. She even had her eyes shut tightly. She opened them and stepped back, giving Carlisle full view of the things that were in the cabinet.

He paled slightly. "Is this all of it?" he asked.

Alice wanted to lie, but she knew Carlisle would be able to tell if she was lying. She was his daughter and seemed to have acquired the ability to sniff out a lie as soon as she was born.

"No," she said.

"No," he repeated, his eyes raking over everything. "What else is there?"

Alice thought about what Bella had been wearing and answered as quickly as she could, hoping it wouldn't sink into Carlisle's mind.

"Two handguns, four knives and a shotgun."

Alice thought Carlisle had paled before, but now he looked nauseous.

He swallowed. "Where are the other things?" The look in his eyes said he already knew but needed to hear it. Alice did not want to say it.

"On Bella," she said.

"On Bella." Carlisle took a deep breath. "What happened tonight?"

Alice told him everything from her point of view and made him sit down on the bed in case he fainted. He took it better than she thought he would, but suddenly, he started to sob. His hands went up to his face, as if to shield his upset from Alice, but Alice wasn't a little girl anymore. She wrapped her arms around her dad.

Someone walked into the room and Alice lifted her tear stained face. It was Esme. She walked further into the room and sat on the bed.

"Alice, go and make some more coffee," Esme said. Alice nodded and left the room, knowing that Esme would be able to give strength to Carlisle as Esme didn't remind him of Mary the way she did.

In the kitchen she started filling up cups and adding milk. Her thoughts were whirling around in her mind. She thought of Bella and how every time she had a problem, Alice couldn't help. She thought of her father and how she couldn't comfort him or talk about Mary. Her thoughts ran back over how useless she had been to everyone. The girl who owned a department store and talked about fashion and thought that talking about something else was something that helped. She was beginning to realise that avoidance could only go so far. She had already let Bella down tonight, she wasn't going to do it again. She picked up the two cups of coffee and headed to Bella's bedroom.

She still had Bella's old gun under her bed in an old suitcase.

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**A/N: AHAHAAHAHA!!!**

**Need I say more???!!! Let me know your thoughts!**


	37. Ch37 Up Close and Personal

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer!!!**

**Thank you for all the kind words last chapter, as always, they fill me with a feeling of love.**

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**Chapter 37 – Up Close and Personal**

Before they got out of the car, Edward pulled out two Kevlar vests from a compartment in the back of the car. Bella took off her jacket to put it on and had to rearrange her armour, but she didn't mind. If it was the choice of not wearing one and wearing one, she knew which she would choose. They got out of the car and walking into the entrance of the Volturi building. Bella had her Ithaca pump action 12 gauge shotgun in a two-handed grip. Edward was holding a .45, saving the uzi for when the shit was piled up to their necks—if it already wasn't.

The lobby was empty, which caused tension to curl in Bella's stomach. She expected twenty guards shooting at her, but there was nothing. There wasn't even any sound.

"They want us deeper into the facility," Edward said, as if it solved everything. Bella scowled, knowing he was holding back more than she had previously thought.

"What do you mean? You tell me now because if I die and I didn't know, I'm coming back to haunt your pretty little ass."

Edward looked at her without a hint of expression then looked around. "I'll give you the edited version, they're watching us."

Bella followed his gaze, seeing the surveillance cameras. She felt like a sitting duck.

"Shoot," she said, although it was probably the wrong thing to say, given the situation.

"They've taken over from Newton's work, but they've cracked it. Jessica gave them the way. Aro wants to make an army and take over New York. He'll then stretch his territory. If it isn't stopped early, it will spread like an epidemic."

"I didn't see you as the humanitarian type," Bella remarked.

"Let's put it in a language you'll understand then. If vampires take over the world, they'll be a lot less humans for me to kill. I don't know a bloody thing about vampires. I might not be able to kill them."

"Yeah, that makes sense in a sick, twisted, sort of way," replied Bella.

A rush of air caused her to turn around. No-one was there, at least, nothing she could see was there. She pumped the shotgun to jack a shell into place. There was something about the sound of a shotgun being pumped that was worse than any preparation of other weapons in Bella's mind. The sound seemed to echo around them in the big open space. She didn't like it one bit.

Instinct took over and she started to follow her own set of rules that she had embedded into her brain. The first rule was preparation. She had done that. The second rule was take cover. She got behind the reception desk and laid herself flat against the ground with the shotgun pressed up against her. Her third rule was aim and the fourth was to shoot. There was nothing to aim at and nothing to shoot. She had done as much as she could.

Edward was sat on a chair, gun resting against his lap. He had his eyes closed, but Bella knew he was aware of everything in the room. She wanted to shout at him to take better cover though. He was acting harmless. Was that his plan?

Footsteps echoed up a corridor behind Bella, slightly to the left. She shuffled herself further underneath the desk and pressed her back against the solid wood. It would hide her, but not protect her. She was itching to use the shotgun. She knew she could explode a few heads with it before someone put a stop to her.

She saw feet first. The shoes black and polished so that the light coming from the bulbs above reflected off them. More pairs of feet walked behind the first pair, as if echoing the movements of who was in front. There was only one person Bella could think of who would demand such an authoritive, powerful display. Her veins sang with hatred for the man.

"Edward," Aro said. The two syllables were polite, but there was an undercurrent of mocking.

"Aro," Edward replied in a neutral voice. As if he didn't care.

"I'd ask you if Bella plans to come out from under the desk any time soon, but I know that only she knows the answer to that." Bella aimed the shotgun at Aro's legs. She wanted to cripple him and hear him scream.

"Bella," he said. She hesitated. "We can either wait for you to stop being childish or we can be civilised about this."

Bella snorted, not able to stop herself. She bit her lip to stop herself from shouting profanities. They were all barbarians, and she knew it.

Despite her better judgement to shoot as many as she could, she crawled out from her cover, holding the shotgun. Holding it now seemed silly, especially as she wasn't planning on shooting anything just yet. If you weren't going to shoot, a gun—no matter how impressive it is—is just a piece of metal.

No, I'm going to use it, she told herself, giving fuel to her eternal fire of hatred.

"My, how they grow," Aro said, looking Bella up and down. "I'd ask who's blood you're wearing, but I don't think I'd like the answer."

"No, you wouldn't," Bella replied coldly.

"I'd also ask you to place the shotgun on the floor, but I know you won't do that willingly."

"You're right."

"I knew you wouldn't disappoint me," Aro said, and walked away with his entourage. Bella lifted the shotgun and could feel the urge running through her body. She could end it now, she could shoot Aro.

A hand pressed against her shoulder, making her swing the shotgun back around to Edward. He was looking sternly at her. The gun was pressed against his chest.

"Kill him now, and we'll never get down to the labs."

"Why the hell do I want to go down to the labs?" Bella asked in bewilderment.

"There is always someone else, Bella. If the labs remain, or a single thread of information stays, then someone else will carry it on. Kill him now and it will just result in us dying. We'd have our revenge over Aro, but it wouldn't stop the next person coming along. It also wouldn't protect the people you love because you'd be dead."

Bella let out a breath and lowered the shotgun. She knew he was right, but the urge to shoot Aro had been strong enough to force out anything other than the need to kill. But the need to survive should have been greater. That thought alone made her come to her senses.

She glanced back to the door that Aro had left through and then turned back to Edward.

"I know," she said.

Edward swung the Uzi round and was suddenly pointing it up at the ceiling at an angle. Bella felt her pulse increase. Something was wrong.

"Take cover, and make it better fucking cover than a piece of wood."

Bella nodded and scanned the room. The best thing she could find was a filing cabinet, but it was made out of metal. It would do.

She was behind it before she could think clearly. She heard the sound of bullets and shattering glass and when she looked up, the room was black. There wasn't even a smidge of any light. She blinked, trying to get her eyes to adjust, but even if they adjusted, she wouldn't see much more than she already was seeing. Her ears were filled with the sound of ringing bells.

An arm grabbed hers and pulled her back. She swallowed the urge to scream and knew it was Edward. She was certain that if it was someone else, they would have just killed her.

Another thought passed her mind. What if they didn't want to kill her straight away?

"They're in here," Edward whispered against her ear, erasing her sudden doubts. She was pressed against his right arm, but Edward seemed unconcerned. Bella wondered if he was as good a shot left handed as he was right. It made sense. She practised with her left hand in case she lost the use of her right, but she preferred to use her right hand, it was still better.

"Who?" she asked. She couldn't see a thing amid the blackness.

"Felix and Didyme." Bella remembered Jane's words about Felix and an involuntary shudder ran down her spine. Felix was here to hunt Edward. That left Bella wondering about Didyme's purpose.

"Who is Didyme?" she asked. Edward started to crawl left and Bella followed, trying to make no sound at all. She kept her hands close to him, so she knew where he was moving.

"Didyme is Aro's sister and Marcus' wife." Bella knew that Marcus was Aro's brother, but she didn't know why Didyme was hunting her.

She said as much. "Why is Didyme after me?"

"I don't know, but you'll get a chance to ask her," replied Edward.

"That was what I was afraid of," said Bella.

A gunshot sounded to the right.

"Someone's shooting blindly at us, the stupid idiot," Edward said. He sounded pissed, but Bella wasn't surprised. It made her think that the person shooting at them didn't care if they hit the other person on their side. It was either that or they were incredibly stupid.

Another horrible thought came to her mind. "Do you think they know where we are?" Bella asked, her heart drumming so hard that she was surprised no-one could hear it.

"Shit," Edward said. That 'shit' was followed by gun shots to Edward's left.

Didyme and Felix were herding them in and they couldn't see anything.

"Infra red and heat sensors. I'll bet Aro can see our heat signatures so he can watch the show. I'll bet it's him telling Didyme and Felix where we are."

Bella nodded, not trusting her voice. She knew they had to do something before they became cannon fodder.

"Split up, it'll make it harder for them to pinpoint us," she said. A shot rang closer to her right ear this time, the sound left a ringing sound in the ear. At least she hadn't gone deaf, yet.

Bella flattened her body against the ground and slid across the floor as quickly as she could. It was harder than she expected with a shotgun in her hands, but she managed it. Shots were still echoing around the darkness and they had an eerie feel to them, like they weren't real. It was the darkness that made them seem that way, but Bella knew that they were as real as it could get.

The shots were getting further away, making her feel relief for herself. Splitting up hadn't just been to make it harder for the enemy, but it was also a failsafe. If they were both together and both died, then none of them would be able to take down the Volturi. If they were separate and one died, the other would be able to take down the Volturi. Bella trusted Edward to do just that, and by the fact that he'd followed her orders, she thought he trusted her too.

_I need light_, she thought suddenly. Although Edward's idea to take out the light had been meant to give them more time, it was now more useful to Didyme and Felix than it was to them. They could shoot Bella point blank and she would have never known they were there.

She decided to find a wall and follow it around until she found a door she could open. It would give her an escape route and also bring more light into the lobby. She would try and kill Didyme if she could before she went, but that was optional for the time being.

Slowly, she got herself standing and found a wall. She was certain that Felix and Didyme would know her position by now, so she had to hurry. The ringing in her right ear had now stopped, leaving her listening to silence that was thicker than the blackness. There were no more gunshots. Had Aro found out what she was doing? Was Edward dead?

She tried not to think about any of the possibilities and she started to run. It was a dangerous thing to do, but getting shot in the head was not what she wanted to happen. She found a door and frantically found her way to the handle. She managed to push it slightly before she felt someone move behind her.

A sliver of light let her see the outline of a man and a glint of silver. She stumbled backwards, dropping the shotgun as she went. It went off and for a second, there was silence, then a scream. The scream was long and pitiful, like a wounded animal. Bella turned her attention to Felix who was looming over her.

She kicked out her legs, but he moved out of the way. She rolled onto her side as the blade flashed in her direction. She grabbed one of her knives to try and ward off his blows as she crab-walked backwards, hoping to reach her shotgun. The other guns were on her person, but she didn't have the time to draw one. Felix was everywhere.

The force of his next blow sent a tremor of pain up Bella's arm. It was also the wounded arm. Shock and adrenaline had made her forget about the injury, but now she was remembering it. The pain would let her think of nothing else.

Felix knelt over her, pinning her legs to the ground. Her injured arm was hanging limply to her side and the other one was outstretched. Felix pressed the blade lightly against Bella's neck. It was light enough that it didn't bite into her skin, but strong enough that she was fully aware of the potential of the blade and the strength in Felix's arm.

His face was looming over hers and his breath was hot on her face. She didn't feel a shiver of delight as she did when Edward was so close to her. The shivers that were coming from her now were out of fear.

"Do you know why I didn't just draw a gun?" he asked her. She didn't want to play this game.

"Some macho male bullshit?" Bella asked.

Felix's other hand pressed against the wound in her upper arm. Bella opened her mouth, but the pain was so great that nothing came out.

"I like to make death a personal thing," he said. Bella could see the glint in his eyes. It promised pain.

Bella's hand struggled to reach the shotgun.

The background screams stopped and Felix hesitated. The hesitation was all it took.

Edward came out of nowhere. He threw himself into Felix and their combined weight took them away from Bella. She grabbed the shotgun and sat up. She couldn't take aim because she'd hit Edward as well as Felix.

"Is this personal enough for you?" Edward asked, his voice strained. Somewhere in the ambush, Felix had lost his weapon. Bella saw it closer to the door.

She picked it up. "Edward!" she shouted.

"Find the labs, destroy them," he said. Bella pushed the blade across the floor so that it skidded towards the wrestling pair. She turned to the door and ran, not looking back because she didn't want to see how it would turn out.

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**A/N: oo-er!!! Tell me what you thought of this installment!**

**I'm currently nursing a fat lip...I've just had it pierced. Any ideas how I can brush my teeth with it?!**


	38. Ch38 Meaning of Honour

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer!!!! **

**Thanks for last chapter's reviews, they were all kinds of awesome! (I mean that!)**

**I think there should be a warning for this chapter, about violence and things...**

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**Chapter 38 – Meaning of Honour**

Bella was running down the corridor. She didn't have the slightest idea where she was going and her head was reeling from shock. The pain in her arm was making her feel faint and nauseous and she wondered how much blood loss she had suffered.

She was tired, angry and sick. It wasn't a combination she was happy with when she was so far away from the end. If Aro was dead, then she would have coped better. Relief would have washed away any doubts.

Murmured voices made her stop. She pressed herself up against the wall and listened. For a moment, there was nothing, then there was the sound of a crying baby. It puzzled Bella. She had no idea what was going on.

Her instincts were telling her to keep moving, but she went against them and followed the noise. She wasn't going to leave a baby in the care of the Volturi. She stopped outside a metal door that had a small window in it. She peered through and tried to make sense of what she was seeing. Her brain knew it was awful, because it was trying not to make sense of it. She stared harder until it unfolded like a blanket, except this blanket had something horrifying inside.

There was a baby on the table, covered in wires and crying. There were bruises on its arms. Bella watched in stunned horror as a scientist pushed a needle into the baby's arm. He injected something into the baby and took out a clipboard. The baby started to shake, as if it was having seizures. Bella felt tears fall from her eyes. She couldn't watch any more. She burst through the door and shot the scientist. His assistant was wide-eyed, as if wondering who Bella was. She lifted the gun and pointed it at the man.

"Please, don't shoot," he said. Bella glanced down at the baby. It was still again, but looking at its eyes, she was certain it had died. She swallowed a lump in her throat, feeling her rage come forward.

She lowered the gun. "I won't shoot," she said calmly.

The man looked visibly relieved. "Thank you, thank you..."

Bella picked up a syringe off the table. "What is this?" she asked.

The man's eyes widened as he caught the gist of where she was going.

"What is it?" she asked more clearly. She tilted her head to the side, looking like a deranged mental patient.

"I-it's classified. I don't have the authority to share that information with you."

"Really? I think you'll tell me the ingredients of the secret sauce in the next five minutes. I want to know what's in this syringe."

The man shook his head, afraid to speak. Bella sighed and put the syringe back on the table and picked up the shot gun.

"Do you know anything about guns?" she said conversationally.

He just stood there, unmoving.

"Do you know what this could do if I aimed it here?" she asked, pointing the gun at his crotch.

She sighed again. "It would kill you. I don't want to do that. I want to make you hurt."

She placed the shotgun on the table and took out a knife.

"This, on the other hand, would hurt and wouldn't kill you unless I really wanted you to die, but we've established that I don't want you to die until I know everything."

The man swallowed. "It wasn't me who injected the kid." His voice was raspy.

"I don't give a fuck. I don't give a flying fuck if you did this or didn't do that." Bella's voice was still calm, despite her words. She smiled and it was a smile that she knew would make people run. She knew it was a smile that she had never used before. It was a new expression that had taken a chunk of her soul to make. Blood, pain and death had forged the look. She aimed it at the man.

"First question," she said. "What is in the syringe?"

The man answered, "GPL. It's a stimulant. It increases the metabolism of whoever's system it enters."

"Second question: Why did the baby die?" She cocked her head to the side again and looked at the man's blue eyes.

"That is unknown until a post mortem is carried out, but at a guess, I'd say it was the stimulant. Maybe the dose was too high and caused cardiac arrest?"

"Question three,"—Bella took a small step forward, the man didn't notice—"Why did you give the baby GPL?"

"The baby was born in the lab. The child of a genetically enhanced human and an ordinary human. Tests indicated that there were abnormalities, we were trying to make them come to a head."

"But you already know how to make vampires, why do this?" she asked. The man looked suddenly shocked, as if the puppy wasn't supposed to speak English.

"We are trying to ascertain the affects of breeding between lab-created vampires and humans."

"Fourth question," Bella interrupted. "Are the rest of the labs on this corridor?"

The man nodded.

"Okay, last question," Bella said. The man looked relieved that it was almost over. "Do you want to die?"

The man shook his head and followed the action with a clear, "No."

"Good answer," replied Bella.

~*~

"Shit, shit, shit. I can't believe I'm doing this," Alice said as she forced a coat over her shoulders and pocketed the gun. She went over to her window and opened it. Cold air rushed in, ruffling the papers on her bedside cabinet.

She took in a deep breath and forced herself over to the window. She climbed out, balancing her body on the ledge. There was a drain pipe to her right that she had to reach. The drop wasn't far, but it didn't reassure her. If she fell, she'd break her legs.

"Still can't believe I'm doing this," she murmured to herself as she felt her leg reached the drainpipe. Her arms wrapped around it and she started to descend, forcing herself to not look down.

When her feet hit the pavement, she felt relieved and then ran to her car, worried that someone might find out what she was doing. Her thoughts were jumbled and she tried to block everything out. All she had to do was drive to the Volturi building. She knew where it was. She knew the entire area like the back of her hand.

She pulled up outside the building next to a black Sedan. The driver was still in the car. It made Alice wonder what the person was doing. She clicked off the safety on the gun and got out of the Porsche. She walked up to the car stealthily until she reached the window. She pointed the gun at the man and knocked on the window politely. Both actions were completely contradictory, but she didn't care.

The man looked shocked, but not shocked enough by Alice's standards. He lowered the window and smiled condescendingly.

"Hello," he said lazily. Alice knew that voice, she'd heard it on Rosalie's cell phone.

"Jacob Black," she said.

"Alice Cullen?" Jacob added a lilt to Cullen to make it into a question.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked him.

"I could ask you the same question, but I won't get cute with you. You're the one with the gun."

"That's right," Alice replied, she didn't know what else she could have said. She wasn't as good with comebacks as Bella was.

"You should probably get in the car. You look like you're freezing your ass off out there," Jacob stated with a smile. Alice looked down and realised he was staring at her chest.

"You insufferable bastard," she said. She was beginning to understand why Rosalie was so pissed at him all the time.

"That's me," he said, still smiling. Alice wanted to knock the smile off his face, but they were wasting time.

"You tell me why you're here and I'll tell you why I'm here."

"If you get in the car and stop drawing attention to yourself, I'll do whatever you say," Jacob said. His voice had gone slightly darker.

With a sigh, Alice got into the car. She increased the heating and put her hands in front of the blower. The gun was resting in her lap.

"Just make yourself at home," Jacob said sarcastically.

"That's what I am doing," Alice said. "Right, you tell me yours and I'll tell you mine."

"I thought that was supposed to be 'you show me yours and I'll show you mine'."

"It would be if I was interested," Alice said.

Jacob grinned. "At least you aren't anally retentive like the other two."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Alice resisted the urge to hit him.

"It was meant as one."

"Good."

"Good."

They sat in tense silence for another minute.

Alice finally said, "So, why are you here?"

"The same reason you are, I expect," replied Jacob. "I'm here to find out what Bella's doing with the Volturi."

"I'm not. I'm here to rescue her, at least, that is, if she needs rescuing. She's pretty resourceful when she wants to be."

"I think you're going to have to start from the beginning," Jacob said.

Alice paused to think. She didn't want to overindulge information, but she needed someone to go in with and Jacob seemed to be the only one she was going to find. She also thought that he'd be pretty hard to shake off as well.

"As long as this information is forgotten after tonight," she said, setting the conditions.

"You have my word of honour," Jacob said.

"Funny," Alice retorted, "I didn't think you as the honourable type, but we have a deal."

~*~

Felix's hands were trying to grasp at Edward's throat. Edward used his own hands to keep the attempts back, but what he really wanted to do was grab the blade that was lying beside them both. Felix had the same idea, but he needed to get Edward off his body before he could do anything.

"I take it she's dead," Felix said, voice strained.

"Didyme is dead. Bella had a lucky shot."

"It could have hit any of us," Felix said, raising his torso off the ground slightly. He was strong enough that Edward could only stop him from going further, but couldn't push him back down to the ground completely.

"Shame it wasn't you," Edward said, letting go of Felix as he grabbed the sword. Felix dived out of the way, knowing Edward was going to swing. Edward stood up, holding the sword and drawing a gun in his other hand.

Felix had moved further into the darkness and out of sight. Edward had a firm grip on the sword, but knew it would be of no use unless he could see Felix.

A gunshot sounded, but it went wide. Edward ran to the door that Bella had shut behind her and he forced it fully open. As soon as it started to open, he got to the floor, feeling air sail above him. He dived behind the door as more gunshots narrowly missed him.

He had a second to decide what to do. The decision was much easier than he expected it to be.

He ran up the corridor in pursuit of Bella.

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**A/N: HAHAHA!**

**DID YOU EXPECT ANY OF THAT?!**

**I look forward to hearing comments...**


	39. Ch39 Going Up and Going Down

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer!!!**

**Thanks for all the reviews and everyone who is reading this! It makes me feel good, and I need that right now with the start of a new semester at uni...**

**Oh, and I'm dedicating this chapter to EclipsedbyJacob, because I know she will like the tension, and the sarcasm, and the Jacob.**

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**Chapter 39 – Going Up and Going Down**

Bella had an attack of conscience as she looked at the man she had tortured and killed. Nausea swam in her mind and bile rose in her throat. She dragged in gulps of air to try and calm herself. She thought of the baby and how the man deserved it. It wasn't enough. She scrambled to the sink and emptied the contents of her stomach. Even when there was nothing left, she dry heaved, wishing that the guilt could be as easily removed. Her eyes blurred and she realised that anyone could have come in on her and killed her whilst she was vomiting. That thought alone sobered her up.

She picked up her knife and wiped it on a clean lab coat that was hanging on a hook on the door. She sheathed it and grabbed the shotgun.

"I'd drop that if I was you," said a voice Bella did not want to hear.

"Where's Edward?" she asked automatically, her voice more fragile than she had hoped.

Felix laughed and pressed the barrel of his gun against her back. Bella resisted the urge to turn around.

"Drop the shotgun...no, actually, we've done that before and it worked in your favour. Give me the shotgun, Bella."

Although the situation was in Felix's hands, Bella had no intention of giving Felix her shotgun. She gripped it until her knuckles went white.

"No," she said, sternly this time.

"I don't think you have a choice in the matter," Felix replied. Pushing the barrel against her until it hurt, making his point.

"Just shoot me then," said Bella. "Because the only way you're going to get the shotgun is when you pull it out of my dead hands."

"I thought you'd want to do this the easy way, but I'm beginning to realise nothing about you is easy," Felix said, his voice holding a hint of amusement.

Bella kept her mouth shut. She was unsure of what was happening. The night just kept getting more surreal the further it went on. She wanted to know if Edward was dead. Felix was hinting at it, but she needed a straight answer. If he was, she couldn't be so careless. Assuming the worst wasn't a bad thing if it kept her alive.

There was a second when she felt Felix move behind her and something pressed into her skin. Time slowed down, but she still couldn't turn quickly enough to prevent what was happening. The needle went into her skin, a sharp prick of pain. She felt her legs buckle beneath her and her muscles started to weaken. Her eyelids fluttered as she sank towards the ground. The shotgun was out of her hands now and Felix was smiling. She sank into darkness, hoping his face wasn't the last thing she ever saw.

~*~

Edward stopped running. The corridor wasn't the same one Bella had come down. He knew that now. The fight had pushed him and Felix towards the centre of the room and his sense of direction had been off.

This corridor was the one Aro had walked through. His footsteps were almost silent as he moved, unsure if Aro was aware of his presence in the corridor. Felix wasn't following him. It led Edward to believe Felix was either still in the lobby or had taken a different corridor—possibly the one Bella had gone down.

He crept towards the set of double doors ahead and pushed them open. The room was empty, with several doors leading off from it. The only problem now was finding the right door.

He never got so far. He heard a hiss of air and felt a stab of pain in his neck. His elbow went into the softness of the person behind him, but then his arms turned to jelly and he couldn't fight. The world around him blurred and faded until there was nothing.

~*~

Alice stood next to Jacob in a bush next to one of the windows of the Volturi building.

"I feel like a secret agent," she said to him as she peered into the window. The lobby was dark, but there was just enough light in the room that she could see broken glass, blood, debris and a body.

She swallowed the sudden thickness on her tongue.

"It's not Bella," Jacob said. "You can see the lightness of the hair. Bella's is darker than that."

Alice nodded and took a few deep breaths. She turned away from the body and looked at Jacob.

"We aren't going in that way," she said. It was a question and a statement of fact all in one.

"No, we're not,"—he looked up and smiled—"What do you think of extreme sports?"

Alice's gaze went up. Just looking at the height of the building made her feel sick. She followed Jacob's gaze and stared at what he was looking at. It looked like a piece of wood on a pulley rope to her, but she knew the window cleaners used it. She bit her nails nervously. In any other situation, nothing would get her on that, but this wasn't about her. She had a friend to save and revenge to deliver. Two reasons were more persuasive than one.

"I once went fishing," she said, more to ease her own tension than to answer Jacob.

Jacob gave her a puzzled look. "That isn't an extreme sport," he said.

"It is if you go with Emmett."

"I'd ask you to explain that but by the way you say it, it makes me not want to know," Jacob said.

He went over to the contraption and pulled on the rope until the base hovered a few inches off the ground. He motioned forward. "Ladies first," he said.

"I'm a lot of things but 'Lady' isn't one of them," Alice replied, stepping onto the thing. She shivered and sat down, hoping it would make her feel more stable.

Jacob stood to her left and used his arms to pull the rope. They climbed higher and higher. Alice refused to close her eyes and she refused to look down. Instead she looked out at the sky and felt like she was floating. It made her feel content for a moment, but a gust of wind made things rattle and panic filled her again. She clutched at the floor and still they climbed higher.

"How far are we going?" she asked shakily.

"All the way to the top. We're going to get on the roof," Jacob said.

"Shit," Alice replied.

The whole journey seemed to take longer than it really did for Alice, but when they got to the top, she wished it could last longer. She did not want to stand up and have to climb over a bar to get onto the roof. She watched Jacob get off easily and he held a hand out to her. She took the hand and stood up slowly and shakily.

"Don't pull me," she said in fear.

"I won't, just step over it. I won't let you fall."

Alice looked into his eyes. "That did not make me feel better. You've just made it ten times worse."

She used her free hand to grab the bar and she stepped over. As soon as her feet were firmly on the flat part of the roof, she let go of Jacob's hand and walked towards the centre of the roof—as far from the edge as she could get.

Jacob caught up to her. "We'll go down those stairs," he said, pointing to the left. "It'll get us inside the building at least."

Alice nodded, glad that she would now be travelling down instead of up.

Jacob went first, a gun in his right hand, pointing upwards. Alice followed his actions, but the gun in her hand felt awkward. She wondered how she had let herself get into such a situation, and although she knew it was through love for Bella, she regretted her actions now. What if she got Bella killed? What if Bella took her concentration away from the problem because she worried for Alice?

Then there was her own fear for herself. She didn't know how to shoot, not really. She had seen Bella do it, but that wasn't the same. She hoped she would have beginner's luck. No, she would rather not have to hope for luck.

Jacob helped her down from the last step. They were on the top floor of the building which was full of equipment. It was a huge storeroom. There was even a plan of the building on one of the walls. She followed Jacob towards it, hoping he knew what he was doing more than she did.

She let her gaze rake over the plans. Most of the floors were offices and storage.

"Well, that's disappointing," she said, taking a step back so Jacob could get a better look.

"Or it's a fake. They must have a real plan somewhere in here. Keep watch of the door whilst I have a route around."

Alice gulped. "But wouldn't it be better for you to guard the door? I've never shot anyone before."

Jacob considered this. "Yes, but I do a lot of investigation work. I'm pretty good at searching for things."

Alice snorted. "I'm a serial shopper, I can spot a bargain a mile off, maybe we should change positions."

"I'll give you five minutes," Jacob said. Alice took that as the go ahead and she started by the door.

She opened boxes and shuffled through what was there. She opened filing cabinets and skimmed the documents. She looked up at the plan on the wall, and pictured in her head what it would look like stuffed into a box or filing cabinet.

"Two minutes," Jacob said. Alice resisted the urge to look up. Time was flying away. She hadn't realised she had already wasted three of her five precious minutes.

Panic made her heart beat faster, but she tried to reassure herself. _You're_ _on supermarket sweep_, she told herself, _and you have to find the cucumber._

In this case, the cucumber was the floor plan.

"One minute," Jacob said. Alice was fumbling through another box, thinking that Jacob didn't have a very good Dale Winton voice. Stress made you think of strange things, or maybe Alice was delusional anyway?

Her hands paused and she went over the stack of papers again. Something had caught her eye. _The plan!_

"I've got it!" she exclaimed, pulling it out and waving it around like a baton. She laid it out against the table and scanned it. It looked similar to the other one. No hidden agendas were painted on the canvas.

Deflated, she looked up with a sigh.

"It's like the other one," she said.

"Wait," Jacob said, causing her to turn back to the map. "There's an extra two floors on this one. Why would they hide two floors?"

"The secret labs?" Alice suggested.

Jacob gave her a pleased grin. "The underground work is literally underground."

_That's where Bella will be_, she thought without a doubt.

**____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**A/N: Bet you didn't expect that...HAHA! Please don't flame me!**


	40. Ch40 The Cage

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Thank you for last chapter's reviews! Sorry this chapter took so long to get up!**

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**Chapter 40 – The Cage**

Bella was aware of her surroundings, but she hadn't quite woken up yet. She was in the stage between dreaming and waking and was unsure of whether she wanted to open her eyes and face reality. Her thoughts were a distant dream that she didn't have to belong to. She could stay where she was, peaceful and uncaring. Or she could open her eyes and face the music.

She opened her eyes. The light was piercing and caused her brain to throb. She sat up, aching and stiff and rubbed her eyes. She felt like she had a bad hangover mixed with a chaser of beating.

Her hand touched something cold and metallic. Immediately, she sobered up and groaned. She was in a cage and felt very much like a desperate, trapped animal. Edward was in another cage facing hers, a metre or two away. He was sat up, watching her without expression. It unnerved her.

"What happened?" she asked him. Her mind started replaying her memories like action shots. "Is Felix dead?"

There was a burst of laughter that echoed around them. Edward's lips were unmoving and an eerie feeling passed over Bella.

"I'm very much alive," Felix said, stepping into view. There were more cages surrounding them, but they were empty. There were also crates.

"For now," Bella quipped. Felix laughed again and knelt by the cage, just out of arms reach. It warmed something inside Bella to know that he was afraid to come closer. She let her hands drift towards her holster, but it was empty. Panic flared when she realised she was completely unarmed, but she still had the vest on. Then again, she didn't think it would do much use now.

"I don't think you're in the position to be making threats, but I find it utterly charming. I asked Aro if I could fight you, he said no. He said it wouldn't be fair because I outweigh you by about a hundred pounds."

"I never saw Aro as the fair type," Bella retorted. She doubted that was the real reason.

Felix shrugged. The sound of an announcement flowed through Bella's ears.

"Looks like you're first," Felix said to Bella. She wasn't particularly thrilled to know that.

Felix unlocked the cage and pulled out a knife as long as Bella's forearm. He grabbed her tightly and pressed the blade against her neck.

"Struggle and I'll cut you, but I won't kill you. I won't make it that easy." Bella nodded, feeling that he was making a gibe at her after their last encounter. If he had said he'd kill her, she would have struggled.

She gave Edward a fleeting glance as she was led out of the room and into an arena. Felix walked her to the centre of the arena and backed away. Bella looked around, seeing guards at the exit and entrance. She looked up, seeing Aro Volturi sitting high above her in the spectator stalls.

"Bella," he said simply. "I thought I could trust you, but you fucked with me."

"You used me first, Aro. If I had any idea what you were doing, I would have declined before any of this shit started," Bella said, keeping her voice clear and as empty as she could. Her body, however, betrayed her. She was shaking with nausea and fatigue.

"Tell me, Bella, if you knew everything you know now when I offered you the job, would you have walked away? Would you have been able to put it out of your mind? Would you have not lost sleep at night?"

Bella paused, and that pause gave Aro his answer.

"But, there are still many things you do not know. Maybe you would be less inclined to judge if you knew everything?" He looked over Bella, whose trembling was unnerving him. "Sit down, please," he added.

Bella looked at the floor and then looked back up at Aro. She sat down slowly, untrusting.

"If it's any consolation, none of your injuries were received on the premises." Aro smiled, amused with himself.

Bella gritted her teeth against the overwhelming urge she had to retort something back at him. Instead, she let him talk. Her only thought was, why do the villains like the sound of their own voices so much?

"I'm going to tell you what you do not know," he said.

"Why?" Bella asked.

"Because it is the least I can do before you die. You have gone through all this trouble. I would hate for it to be wasted."

_No_, Bella thought, _you're doing it to brag. As if your ego isn't big enough._

"I heard about Newton's enterprises three years ago. My wife was one of Newton's scientists. She told me about the project and it intrigued me. I decided to start my own. My wife left Newton's enterprises and came to work as the head of my laboratory instead. The work started, but we could only get so far. That's where you came in. I needed Newton's files and his scientists. He died, I took over. Of course, that didn't get us further than we already were. We were at a stalemate."

"A stalemate that Jessica broke," Bella stated in disgust.

"Yes. Her files were ruled out as unresponsive. She had been given an earlier drug that had been ruled out, because she only became half of what she was supposed to become. Little did we know that the drug was, in fact, the breakthrough. The breakthrough had been achieved years ago and we had ruled it out as a possible answer."

Despite wanting to keep her mouth shut, Bella was interested. She asked, "How did you know Jessica was the answer?"

Aro smiled, pleased with Bella's response. "She wasn't dead. Usually, the hybrids die between the first and fifth years. She was still alive. We found her files and discovered that there was a difference in the drug pattern she had been given. There was a minor change in one of the nucleotide bases of one of the portions of DNA in the drug. We did some investigative work into it. We added enzymes to speed up the process so it was like the drug had been added to the person's genome six years before. The results were astounding."

"How so?" Bella asked.

"Well, we cracked it."

Bella frowned, unsure whether Aro was explaining it right or whether it was just her tired, information-loaded brain that wasn't processing what he was saying.

"Cracked what?" she questioned.

Aro made an elaborate gesture with his arms as if he was holding a conducting baton and he sighed. "The injection went in and the subjects changed to half vampires. The enzymes were added under controlled conditions to duplicate the six years that had passed. The subjects didn't die, what happened was more than I could have ever hoped for."

Bella didn't like the sound of that. She swallowed back dread that lodged itself in her throat.

"A-and what was that?"

"They changed completely. Full vampires. No longer hybrids."

Bella's heart was pounding. She hadn't seen Jessica since she left the apartment to meet Edward. She hadn't even thought about Jessica until that moment. Jessica hadn't been at Macabre Nights. Bella hadn't even asked Alice, Esme or Rosalie where Jessica was. Had she finally changed? The thought made Bella feel sick.

The question that had been buzzing around at the back of Bella's mind finally came forward. It was one that had emerged when Edward told her the basics of what he knew.

"Why did you want to create vampires?" she asked Aro.

"I'm a wealthy man, Bella, or at least, I was a wealthy man. The company has gone bust and with the lab work, the debts have piled up. The creation of these monstrosities will give me power, and with that power there will be no need for wealth because they come hand in hand."

Bella shook her head, unbelieving. Jane had told her that it was power, and Aro was telling her the same. There was more to it than that, she was certain of it. Even if it was just an extension of the explanation he had already given her.

"There's more to it than that," she stated.

Aro smiled. "There always is," he replied. Bella thought that was as much as he was going to say, but he added, "I'm a vain man, Bella, but more than that, I fear death. It has always been something uncontrollable. Even with the advances in medicine and hygiene and technology, there has still been death. No-one can escape the effects of aging, not inside. Everyone dies, Bella. I wanted to prove that not only God could have the power. We can stop death."

All Bella could think of at that moment was: _he's completely mad. Really mad. Bonkers._

"Vampires aren't alive," she said. "Whatever they are, they aren't living. They exist, but they do not live." She shook her head again, trying to remove everything Aro had said to her.

Aro stood up then. He motioned to someone with his arm and turned back to Bella.

"Now that we're had our discussion, we can get back to why you are in this room. You are going to fight a hybrid. You survive, then you live another night."

Bella wondered whether she should just keel over and die and be done with it, but as much as she felt that was the best option, she couldn't erase the will to live that was pounding at her every cell. Adrenaline was starting to pump through her body all over again. She didn't feel tired now.

"Felix, give her a knife." Felix came out from the shadows and handed Bella the knife he had been carrying, hilt first.

She pushed it forward, into his stomach without thinking about it. There was suddenly a gun barrel pressed against her head.

"I thought you would play by the rules," Aro said. "So I was playing by the rules. The knife was to make up for the lack of speed and strength." Aro tsked and motioned something else.

Felix backed away and was led out of the arena by two other people. The man holding the gun to her head backed away and she heard a whirring, churning sound. Looking up, she could see bars coming down around her, trapping her in what she could only describe as a bird cage.

Someone else was holding onto the bars like a monkey. As soon as the bars were in place, the person sprang like a cat to the ground and looked at Bella with a malicious smile.

Bella held the knife out in front of her and took a step back. She felt like a canary who was about to get eaten by a cat.

"When the buzzer sounds, you may begin. When it sounds for the second time, you stop. First spill of blood wins, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will end there."

Bella didn't like the sound of that. She decided that she would ignore the buzzers. She doubted the human-looking creature in front of her would abide by the rules anyway. She tried to imagine Jessica in a cage like this, but couldn't. If this was another hybrid, something else had happened to remove its human thoughts from its mind.

The buzzer sounded and the creature sprang.

Bella slashed with the blade, losing a second somewhere as the creature pushed her to the ground. She braced for impact, but it didn't stop the throb of pain that exploded through her body. She kicked at the creature. It backed away and circled her. She grabbed the hilt of the blade and thrashed it at the creature. It avoided the blade, narrowly missing it.

_I want a gun_, Bella thought, but she knew she'd never get one.

She stood perfectly still as the creature made another move. It came close enough that she could almost feel it touching her and she pushed the blade into it, visualising the blade going through the body so that the force of her blow was stronger.

"First blood," someone called around her, but wherever that was, it wasn't where she was. She felt like she was in some parallel world.

The buzzer didn't sound. She pushed the blade up towards the creature's sternum, but it dug its fingers into her arms. She cried out and let go of the blade as she was pushed back. Her arms went down to take the force of the impact with the ground and she moved almost immediately, knowing that if she stayed put, she would die.

The hilt of the blade was sticking out of the creature looking awkward. The creature didn't pull it out, it just hissed in pain and anger.

Bella panicked, thinking that it had done no harm, but the creature was slower now, barely able to stand as blood gushed out of its body. She knew she'd hit something vital, all she had to do was wait it out.

The buzzer sounded suddenly and the bars of the cage started to rise. Bella kept alert on the creature though, but then blood exploded from the creature's head and it fell to the ground. One of the guards had shot it for the sake of shooting it. She had been defending her life, but everyone else in the room was killing for entertainment. She felt bile rise up her throat and she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to stop tears from falling down her cheeks. It didn't help.

She turned to Aro as wet droplets slid from her eyelids.

"You bastard," she said. Her voice wasn't heated, just sorrowful.

"Take Bella back to her cage," Aro said to the man who had shot the creature. The man nodded and grabbed one of Bella's arms lightly. Bella wondered whether it was because she looked so weak that he was treating her like a fragile child.

It amazed her that he seemed to have forgotten what she had done in the cage. Maybe she could use this to her advantage?

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**A/N: I'd love to hear your thoughts!**


	41. Ch41 When the going gets tough

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer!**

**Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. Life has been fail. Sorry.**

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**Chapter 41 – When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough get...Grenades**

"Alice, are you alright?" Carlisle asked, speaking through Alice's bedroom door. She had been in there for over fifteen minutes now, and it wasn't just him who was getting worried.

Esme came up beside him like a pillar of strength. He was amazed by the woman and how caring she was despite the ordeal that she had been through.

"I think you should just open the door," she said to him.

He shook his head. "Do you know how long it's been since I've gone into Alice's room without her say so?"

"In normal circumstances, I might agree with you, but this is anything but ordinary. She's been through a hell of a lot in the past couple of hours. She and Bella had an argument before she left and I think she blames herself for it. She's your daughter. You need to talk to her."

Carlisle had the feeling that Esme didn't just mean about tonight. He nodded and opened the door. The view made his head swim.

Alice wasn't there, but it was the only place she could be. The window was wide open and sheets of paper were scattered across the floor.

Esme came into the room and brought her hands up to her mouth in horror.

"I can't believe she's done this," Carlisle said, but his voice wasn't reprimanding, it was gasping.

What did he expect? This was Alice and Bella was Bella. He knew they were both determined and he knew they loved each other more than anything. He remembered how they would stick up for each other when they were growing up and they had never had a rough patch, not even as teenagers. They argued on occasion, like everyone did, but there was never any sibling rivalry.

He started fastening the buttons of his coat as he walked into the living room.

Rosalie had fallen asleep on the couch and a duvet was wrapped around her tightly. Jasper stood up from his perched position when he saw the look in Carlisle's face.

"Where's Alice?" he asked.

"Carlisle," Esme said sternly in warning. It was a voice that a mother would use to reprimand a child, it was a voice that said it had worked in the past, but Carlisle wasn't her child.

"That's what I'd like to know," Carlisle said in response to Jasper as he took another few steps towards the door.

"Carlisle, you can't just go down there! It's bad enough that Bella and Alice have gone, you can't just walk into all of that!" Esme exclaimed.

"What do you expect me to do? Just stay here and do nothing? I missed my chance to save Mary, but I'm not just going to sit around whilst the two people I care about the most in this world are in danger. I just can't do that."

Esme's shoulders relaxed because she didn't know what else she could say. She couldn't argue when she'd do the same for Jasper and Rosalie.

"You're both telling me Alice has gone to...She's gone to Bella?" Jasper asked in astonishment.

Esme nodded and Carlisle looked grave.

"If you're going, I'm coming with you," Jasper said.

Esme put herself in front of Jasper, her eyes wide. "You are not going down there, Jasper Hale, I swear to God you are not stepping a foot out of this apartment."

"You can't stop me," he said sternly.

"No, she can't, but I can," Emmett interrupted, standing up. His face softened as he said, "You're both crazy. You can't just walk into a gun fight or whatever it is that'll be there. You'll just be dead weight. Bella will be worrying enough about keeping Alice alive. If you both go down there, then they're both as good as dead anyway."

Carlisle looked at him desperately. "But I can't just stay here. If they die, then it'll kill me. I've always wondered whether I could have saved Mary if I'd been there...I can't bury my kids."

He was almost to the door.

"Carlisle, if you had been there with Mary then you would have died with her. You would have died with your wife and friend. Then what would have happened? Who would have taken care of Bella and Alice?"

"I know that, Esme," Carlisle replied, wiping a hand down his face tiredly. "But there's no-one else to protect or raise. I only have the both of them."

"Fine then, let me change the situation. You go down there and you get killed but Bella and Alice survive. Do you think they'll be happy then?"

"No, but—"

"—No, Carlisle, no they wouldn't."

Carlisle opened his mouth and then closed it because he had nothing to say. Emmett was stood the closest to him by the door and Esme the furthest. Jasper took another step, to close the distance between him and Carlisle.

The tension in the room was thicker than blood and the silence was louder than any amount of noise that could be made. It was thunderous.

Someone knocked on the door, causing Esme to jump. The tension ebbed away slightly and because Carlisle was the closest to the door, he answered it. He was surprised whoever it was didn't just walk in with the gaping hole.

He opened the door to a couple dressed in black trench coats.

"May we come in?" asked the woman.

Carlisle hesitated. "Why?" he replied.

"We would like to speak to you—all of you."

Carlisle turned to Esme who mouthed, "Let them in." He stepped out of the way as the two figures moved into the room. They looked around and rested their gaze on Carlisle.

The woman held out her hand to Carlisle. "Please take my hand," she said. Her voice was almost like music. He obliged, but was unsure why he did so without question.

The woman closed her eyes for an instant, then opened them with a smile. They were a deep burgundy colour. Too real-looking to be contacts.

"We are vampires," she said, "and we have become aware of the project that Mr Volturi has created. We don't need to tell you any of this, but we do have one rule of our race. We cannot allow humans to know about us."

"What are you saying?" Esme asked. The vampire turned her gaze to Esme.

"We're going to destroy Aro's creations and everything to do with it. We will destroy everyone in the building."

Esme gave her a look of panic mixed with horror. "But you can't—"

"We do as we must," the woman said.

"But Alice and Bella are in that building!" Jasper said, stepping towards the woman. She thought of it as brave but foolish.

Valentina's hand brushed against London's.

_He would have been an asset in times past, a real soldier_. Valentina gave London the briefest of nods.

"I know that, I've acquired the information through Carlisle's memories," she said. Jasper's face contorted in confusion.

"They're trying to destroy the Volturi and the creations there, please let them live."

"Why should we?" the woman said. "They are nothing to us."

"They mean something to us," Esme interrupted. The woman turned. Esme took her hand and the woman let go after a second.

"You care about them so much, yet they are not your flesh and blood," the woman said, confused and questioning.

"It's honourable," interrupted the man. The man and woman looked at each other for a moment, as if they were having an internal conversation, but they weren't. It was a look that couples share, a look that says they understand each other.

"If they are still alive when we get there, we will make sure they stay that way," the man said. "But I must erase your memories of us."

Esme looked at Jasper and Carlisle and Emmett, then her gaze went to Rosalie's sleeping form.

"Will it wake her?" she asked.

"No," the man said.

Esme looked back to Emmett, Carlisle and Jasper. They nodded and she breathed, "Alright."

~*~

The man stepped in front of Bella to open the cage, but that was where he made a big mistake. Bella kicked his kneecap as hard as she could and yanked the gun away. She heard the 'plop' sound of the bone and the man shrieked. She shot him. She had wanted to lock him in the cage, but he would have shouted more and drew attention to her.

She took the keys from the lifeless body and opened Edward's cage. They only had one gun.

"We can't go back with one weapon," she said.

"They put our things in another cage," Edward replied. "I wasn't out for as long as you were."

Bella followed him further down the corridor until they came to the cage with their weapons in. She opened it and got out her guns and knives and put them back where they belonged. The shotgun was nowhere though and she sighed.

Edward took his weapons back, his Uzi was missing too.

"What happened?" Edward asked her as they ran up a set of stairs.

"They have an arena and a cage. It was sick. Let's get up into the rafters," she said. "I think we'll have better shots at them from up there."

"We still need to destroy the labs," Edward said, running up beside her.

Footsteps echoed and they raised their guns. They could hear voices.

"Honestly, the scream came from down here and it didn't sound like Bella."

"Alice?" Bella asked, turning the corner with her gun raised. It was pointing at Jacob. Edward's gun was pointed at Alice.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she said to Alice.

"It was a spur of the moment thing," Alice replied.

"Why is he here?" Edward added.

"I got invited to the party," Jacob said smugly.

More voices echoed around them in a cacophony of sound. They were accompanied by a tattoo of steps.

"They're blocking the way to the arena," Alice said. Bella raised her eyebrows, wondering how Alice knew where and what the arena was.

"Well then, the choice has been made for us. We need to go to the labs," Edward said, leading the way back through the room.

Bella took the back, with Alice in front of her. As much as she wanted to kill Alice for coming, she was partly glad. Just seeing her best friend had raised her spirits. She hoped she might get a chance to apologise for being a bitch.

"It's the level above this one," Alice said, pointing to a set of iron steps.

"How do you know all of this?" Bella asked as they ran upwards.

"We came in through the roof and found a plan of the building. We saw the arena from the rafters and that thing that was attacking you..." Alice shivered.

Bella didn't know what to say. She wanted to tell Alice that it was dangerous and foolish, but it had happened now. It was in the past.

They reached the floor above that was very much like a hospital, except whiter. It was the sort of thing Bella expected a mental hospital to look like, with the steel doors. The only thing that let her know it wasn't a hospital was the smell. It didn't smell sterile or have an undercurrent of death that hospitals had—although given the situation, the 'death' feel could have been masked by the real death that faced them all. There were cameras everywhere.

"We better hurry up," Bella said, looking directly at one of the cameras. "If they didn't know we were here before, they certainly know now."

"I need to find an accelerant," Edward said.

"What?!" Jacob said.

"We need to burn it down."

Alice let out a startled gasp. "You're not doing that until we know there are no innocent people in here."

Edward snorted. "Innocent?"

He looked to Bella. Bella shrugged. "I personally agree with you, Edward, but there might be some humans in here."

Edward let out a sigh of frustration. "Let's search the rooms then. I'd say 'kill anything you see' but I know that won't happen with Pixie here."

"I'm not a pixie!" Alice said and stamped her foot.

Jacob raised his eyebrows and suppressed a smile. "Did you seriously just stamp your foot?"

"Let's just get this done," Bella said, moving along the corridor. She kicked open one door and held her gun in front of her. She scanned the room, but it was empty. She moved to the next one and heard a scream. She knew it was Alice.

Running back down the corridor, she found the room Alice was in. She was cowered on the floor with blood and thicker bits on her. She was holding her gun out in shaking hands. Bella saw the body on the floor. It was one of the half-breeds.

"Alice, lower the gun," Bella said calmly. Alice slowly let her hands drop to the floor. "It's dead, Alice, you killed it."

"I did?" Alice questioned.

"Mhm."

Alice raised her head and smiled. It would have been a beautiful smile, but it was ruined by the bit of brain that was sliding down her cheek. Bella swatted it away and wiped her hand on her pants.

"I thought it was going to eat me," said Alice before she stood up.

"Let's get out of here," Bella said. She wasn't checking any more rooms, that was for sure.

Edward and Jacob were waiting for them on the corridor. Shouts came from further down and bullets started hitting the walls. Bella threw Alice to the ground and covered her with her own body as she started shooting back. Edward was down, taking shots. He hit one man square in the chest.

"Get round the corner!" Edward shouted. Bella crawled off Alice and pushed her in front as she crawled towards the corners, out of the line of fire. Bella kept shooting from the corner, although she was certain she wasn't hitting anyone or anything. It was just keeping them from progressing any further. She wished she had a shotgun or an Uzi.

Edward crawled to the corner and got behind Bella. They were at a building's T-junction. She looked back at Alice who was on the opposite side and felt a lump in her throat.

"We need to get out of here!" she shouted, although the constant percussion of bullets made it hard for her to hear her own voice above the noise.

Alice had heard—or lip read—and she nodded and pointed further up her own corridor.

"You need to get over here! That's a dead end!" she shouted. Bella nodded, unable to move or think. Edward was leaning over her, shooting down the corridor. She could feel the vibration of his gun against her body and the tremble of his arms as he held it. He darted back behind the wall and a fresh burst of bullets thundered down the corridor. Bella was definitely not going to put her head out there, let alone try and get across, but they were trapped otherwise.

"Do you want my vest?" Bella asked Edward.

"I've got one on," he replied as he put a fresh clip in his gun.

"I mean, you can put mine on your head," she said. Edward smiled at her, thinking she was joking, but she wasn't.

He motioned for Bella to move, so he was sat where she had been and she was more out of the way. She could understand that. She wasn't exactly doing anything useful anyway.

Alice was still waiting for them to come up with an elaborate plan. Bella was just glad that Alice went down the right corridor, but she was angry that she didn't.

Something small and round sailed through the air and landed near Bella. She picked it up and leant over Edward, throwing it back down the corridor before she even realised what she had done. It had been a grenade. She trembled, hearing the explosion. The air was suddenly thick with dust and debris. But the hail of bullets had stopped.

"Get across, now!" Edward shouted, as he got up himself. Bella knew his urgency was because the ceiling could collapse around them. They ran across to Alice, who was coughing and shielding her head, but otherwise unharmed.

Bella's eyes stung as the dust hit them, but she managed to get to the door and through it. Alice and Edward were with her. They kept running until they reached another set of stairs. That was where Alice collapsed into a coughing heap.

"Where's Jacob?" Bella said, suddenly remembering he had been with them. Panic was bubbling up in her throat as realisation hit her between the eyes like a hammer. She didn't know Jacob very well, but she didn't want him to die. He didn't deserve to die. Pressure replaced the dust that stung her eyes and she could feel the water building up.

"He took a bullet to the chest when they first started shooting, he didn't get down fast enough," Edward said. Bella shook her head, knowing that the three of them had been lucky to get out alive. Her mind ran through worst case scenarios. What if it had just been Alice and Jacob in the corridor? Would Alice have been hit if Bella hadn't dragged her down and covered her?

She gulped and wiped her palms across her eyes. Smearing the dirt mixed with sweat on her face. The good guys weren't supposed to die, and that pissed her off. What she wanted to do was scream and hit something, but she couldn't yet. There was no time for grief or too much emotion.

"We should start the fire down this end and work our way up," Edward said. Bella turned on him with angry eyes. She had been taking his orders for the most part because he was usually right, but she knew that starting the fire would trap everyone in the arena and although burning them alive was a suitable form of death, she wanted to see Aro and Felix. She wanted to make sure they were dead. She wanted to watch the light and life fade from their eyes.

"I'm going back to the arena," she said sternly. Alice had stopped coughing and was dragging in deep mouthfuls of stale air.

"Dammit," Edward said with feeling. Bella took that as a yes.

"How do we get up into the bleachers, Alice?" she asked, not wanting to waste any more time.

"It's at the other end of this floor, but it's blocked off now. We could go up onto the third floor and come back down at the other end."

"That's what we're going to do then," Bella said, grabbing Alice's wrist tightly as she hurried up the stairs leading onto the third floor.

When she got there, she saw the extent of the damage caused by the grenade. Her heart was in her mouth as she looked at the hole in the floor and the slabs of ceiling below. She could see a hand sticking up out of the top of the pile.

"Fourth floor?" Edward suggested.

"There might not be time," Bella said, judging the distance to the other side, across the gap. The floor could cave in on them at any moment.

"I could jump that," Edward said, moving back down the corridor to get more of a run. Bella wanted to stop him, but he had already started the motion. She blinked and he was crouching on the other side.

"Toss the pixie," he said. Bella's eyes widened. She was not going to throw Alice around.

"There's no need," Alice said with bite. She moved back, judged the distance and sprung over the gaping hole in a graceful leap.

She turned back to Bella. "I've still got it." She then turned to Edward. "Fourteen years of gymnastics and ballet, dickwad."

"I suppose Bella will be able to do one of those then," Edward said with a smirk.

Bella was still on the opposite side, shaking her head.

"Then what were you doing whilst she was prancing around in a tutu?" he asked. It earned him a dig from Alice.

"Tae Kwon Do and Drama,"—Edward gave her a look that said 'Oh, really?'—"But I used to stay in the costume design bit."

"Bella, just jump across," Alice said. "If he can do it, so can you."

Bella took a good few steps back. She was further back that Edward or Alice had moved. She let out a breath to steady herself and then she sprinted. Her foot reached the edge of the gap and time seemed to slow down. She used the momentum to push herself in a leap forward. She was momentarily airborne and then she fell with a thud and tried to roll to take away some of the sting of the land.

She stood up and smiled, but the smile was short lived. Her gun was suddenly in her hand, pointing forward. Alice had moved back with gun in hand, but she was giving Edward and Bella the reins to ride the horse.

"Put them down," a familiar voice said. Bella lowered her gun slightly but didn't put it away. She was unsure of Tanya Denali's purpose and until she was certain that she wouldn't try and harm them, then the gun was staying where it was.

Tanya came into view with another person and looked at the gap behind them with a smile.

"Who did that?" she asked.

"Bella," Edward said without emotion.

"It's a bit...elaborate, don't you think?" Tanya said in amusement.

"They threw it at us, I threw it back," Bella answered.

"Carmen and I are hoping to get to Aro, do you know where he is?" she asked. Bella noticed she was wearing a vest much like her own. Her gun went higher.

"He's in the arena," Bella said, cursing herself for giving too much information. "Why do you want to know?"

"I want to kill him."

"Well, get in line, there's a waiting list," Bella said.

"I have no doubts about that." Tanya turned around. "I take it you're going to the arena?"

Bella kept her mouth shut this time. Alice was like a ghost in the background.

It was Edward who said, "Yes, we are."

"Great, I think we'll join you."

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**A/N: Alas, we are getting nearer and nearer to the end...let me know how this chapter went.**


	42. Ch42 Lethal Weapon

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer!!!**

**Thanks to everyone who is still reading this despite my tardiness!!! I'm dedicating this one to MovieMoments because she is amazing and her enthusiasm is something even Alice on a shopping trip couldn't match...**

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**Chapter 42 – Lethal Weapon**

Two armed guards were guarding the top of the bleachers. Tanya shot one of them between the eyes before he could even blink. Carmen took out the other one just as easily. Bella was glad they were both such good shots. It might make Alice less of a target.

Bella crouched down, dragging Alice with her. Edward, Tanya and Carmen did the same. Bella belly crawled forward to get a better view of the arena. She counted the guards around the exit. There were ten. Aro was stood in the centre of the arena arguing with one of the men. There were a further five people near him. They didn't have 'guard' tattooed across their forehead—metaphorically speaking—but Bella would have bet her right arm they were all armed.

"I want you to find them!" Aro bellowed angrily. Tanya started to rise and Edward pulled her down.

"What do you think you're bloody doing?" he hissed in a whisper.

"Starting this shit," Tanya retorted.

"You could get your head blown off if you wave yourself around like that."

"I'm faster than you think, Edward," Tanya said hotly.

"Not faster than a speeding bullet, you're not."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm going to get to the other side," Bella said in irritation. "I'll shoot from the left corner."

"I'll come with you," Alice said. Bella sighed. "Right. Edward?"

Edward nodded, leaving Tanya and Carmen with the right corner. They belly crawled to the other side and Bella pushed Alice into the corner and aimed her gun at Aro's head. Edward was beside her, aiming his gun at the central group.

A shot went off. It went wide, missing everyone. All it achieved was gaining attention. Bella had a second to scowl at Alice before she became a shooting target.

"Alice, stay up here. Take your time with your aims," Bella said as she took off her vest. "And put this on."

"But you need it," Alice protested.

"She can wear mine," Edward said, pulling off his Kevlar protection. He put it in Bella's lap and dashed off down the steps to the arena.

_Shit_, Bella thought. She grabbed the vest and held it in front of her with her left hand and started shooting with her right as she followed him. She had no time to check if Alice was doing what she had told her to do.

Bella caught movement out of the corner of her eye and swung round to shoot when the guard fell to the ground. Bella looked up for a second, glancing at the chairs Alice was tucked under and shooting from.

She smiled to herself and ran on. Her path was suddenly blocked by someone she didn't expect.

"Bella," said Jane in a voice like bells, "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Bella bit back the scream that was choking at her throat and she fired at Jane. The bullets hit her, but flew off. The only thing Bella managed to do was ruin Jane's wardrobe.

Jane laughed, her crimson gaze locking with Bella's. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

Bella moved backwards, tripping over the body of the guard Alice had killed. She was on her bum now, crab-walking backwards with her Glock awkwardly being brought along for the ride. When her back hit the first set of plastic seats, her heart rate accelerated. She was a trapped animal who had no options left.

Jane knelt down, another bullet ricocheting off her. She paused for a second and looked up at Alice. She hissed.

"Alice, don't waste your bullets on her, kill the humans!" Bella shouted. She didn't have the chance to see if Alice was doing what she asked because an icy cold hand was pressed against her cheek.

Jane turned her head to the side and Bella tried to struggle. She knew her attempts were futile, but she tried. Jane's had was like a vice gripping her cheek. She could have crushed Bella's jaw in an instant. She could have ended Bella's life in a second, but she wasn't going to do that. It was what Bella wanted, but she knew Jane was going to play with her food before she killed and ate it.

Her blood surged faster through her body, making Jane let go of her, as if she'd been shocked. Bella watched as Jane struggled against herself. Her teeth were drawn back in pain and her throat convulsed. Bella was frozen, watching in horrified fascination.

"Not so much fun now, is it Jane?" Bella asked. Jane turned her eyes back to Bella and something swam through them, making them look more inhuman, as if only animal thoughts were in her mind. Bella regretted speaking.

Suddenly, another vampire appeared out of nowhere, and then another. They had dropped from the ceiling beams, waiting until they were needed. Bella's gaze flickered around the room. The guards were dead. There was only Aro and two other people alive. Carmen and Tanya were still under cover, but were no longer shooting. Bella put it down to the fact that they knew they couldn't kill the creatures.

The three vampires took awkwardly small steps closer to Bella. She let out a scream as Jane's lips brushed against her cheek. Her eyes squeezed shut as she waited for the lethal bite.

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**A/N: Oh my goodness! She didn't just end it there, did she? **

**Send me a review and I might help you figure out what will happen next, but then again I might just um and ah and scarper!**


	43. Ch43 Death, that hath sucked thy honey

ARGH! I feel so so so so so so so bad! It has been too long, far too long! I'm sorry, really, I am. I've been incredibly snowed under by uni work, and then there's home stuff, which I'm not even going to go on about...But, this story is almost to its end. *sob*

Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer.

Shoutouts: Everyone who reads this story, everyone who reviews this story, and everyone who is still here after all this time.

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**Chapter 43 – Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath**

Bella waited for the pain, but it never came. Bella opened her eyes seconds later, wondering why she hadn't felt anything. Was she dead? Had she forgotten?

_Heaven shouldn't look like this_, she thought, delusional. Conscious thought came back to her in a spell of flashes. She was still in the arena. The vest she had been using as a shield was three metres away, next to a dead body. The three vampires were circling something. She shook her head and tried to get a better look.

"We finish this now, bitch," said a voice she recognised. It was Jessica.

A bullet shot hit the chair next to her and she was forced out of her haze. She scrambled on all fours behind the first set of chairs and aimed her gun through the gap she had. It was one of the two of Aro's entourage that was remaining. Bella shot her three times in the chest and then ran back up the steps towards where Alice was hiding.

"I would have got her, Bella, but I ran out of ammo."

Bella reloaded her own gun and gave Alice the back up.

"It holds thirteen bullets. Get the other bastard." Alice nodded and Bella scrambled towards Tanya, who had left her gun on the ground. She was huddled over Carmen's body, sobbing.

"Tanya?" Bella said carefully. Tanya looked up with a tear-stained and bloodied face. She didn't look like Tanya at that moment, she looked vulnerable—like a broken child.

"She...they..."

"I know, Tanya, but you have to get out of here before they kill Jessica." Bella glanced to the vampires. Jessica was still holding her own, fighting.

"I can't leave without Irina. I've lost Carmen, I can't go without Irina." Tanya hiccupped and trembled.

"Who's Irina?" Bella asked. She peeked out from between two seats again to see Edward and Aro shooting at each other and the three vampires still trying to kill Jessica. Bella gasped when she saw the face of one of the vampires. It was Felix. She was certain of it.

"She's a vampire," Tanya said, "But she's my sister."

Bella's eyes widened. "You mean, the white-blonde-haired vampire down there?!"

Tanya nodded. "At first, I wanted to take over what Aro was doing. I used Edward like Aro used you. Then I found out they had Irina...I can let you kill Aro. I can let you destroy the labs. I trust you to do that, but I can't leave Irina here."

Bella let out a frustrated huff and clamped her fingers onto Tanya's shoulders, digging in enough to bruise. It was a method she hoped would work. Physical pain could bring people away from thoughts and imaginings. Physical pain was a reality.

"She isn't your sister anymore. Your sister died a long time ago. Do something for me and get out of this damn building. Once Jessica dies, the person who used to be your sister will kill you."

Tanya looked into Bella's eyes. "You really mean that," she stated, stunned. Bella held back the urge she had to slap Tanya. There were only so many bruises she could give the woman before she started to take offense.

"Cross my heart and hope to..."

"Live," Tanya said, saving the phrase at the last moment.

"Live," Bella agreed. Tanya gulped and nodded.

"Alright, I'm getting out of here." She picked up her gun and looked at Bella. She crawled back to the door, pushed it open, got up, and ran.

Now all Bella had to do was get Alice out safely, but Aro's voice stopped her from doing that.

"Bella," he said. The two syllables were like a stab to her heart, poison to her veins. She did not want to see a dead Edward. It was the conclusion she drew. If Aro was paying her attention, then Edward was definitely dead.

When she turned to face him, her eyes stayed on his face, resisting the temptation that would haunt her nightmares if she ever saw it. She let her anger cover her bitterness. If she could kid herself that killing Aro would solve everything, then she might just survive long enough to actually do it. After that was another matter entirely. She would either die of grief or die by vampire.

Her feet were moving of their own accord, taking her down the steps to face the monster that had been under her bed since day one. She had to destroy it if she was to ever have any peace.

Aro was holding something in his left hand, but it wasn't a gun. His right hand held the gun by his side, unobtrusive, harmless—_yeah, right._

He lifted his left hand and Bella lifted her gun, aiming it at Aro's head. He smiled in amusement. It made her hesitate.

"Do you know what this is?" Aro asked her.

"No," Bella said, "And I'm so not waiting to find out." She sighted down the gun, her hand slowly going to the trigger.

"Kill me now and Edward will die. He has barely minutes left, Bella. No-one can save him but me." Bella's finger eased off the trigger. She could feel the perspiration running down her back in cooling droplets.

Aro pressed the needle lightly against his skin. "This is the revolution. If I inject this into myself, I will become what Felix, Jane and Irina are."

Bella looked at the needle and at Aro's deceitful face.

"And?" she said as blandly as she could. Cogs were churning in her mind. Her thoughts were betraying everything she had said to Tanya.

_I mean, Jessica is the same as she was. She saved me._

"I will become immortal," Aro said. It was the wrong thing to say.

Bella shook her head. "You're wrong, Aro. Everything dies. Some things are just harder to kill than others."

She shot him in the head and he fell to the ground. The needle rolled across the floor and she picked it up. The syringe was made out of cold glass.

With her heart pounding and her head foggy, she ran to Edward. His eyes were open and his jaw was tense, straining against the pain. Bella could see the blood, but there was so much of it. She didn't know where it was coming from. She was thinking that there was too much blood, but she knew that was stupid. There was always too much blood with death. It was just seeing someone she knew and cared for that was changing how she thought.

"Edward, Edward, Edward," she said, her breathing shaking as much as her hands were.

His eyes locked on hers, but they didn't hold his cold expression or his amusement. It startled her. He looked scared.

She felt her eyes start to blur and she tensed her fingers around the syringe in her hand, focusing.

"Edward, I'm going to save you," she said. Her heart was breaking as every word left her lips. She could almost feel the heart strings snapping as her soul began to keen. She held the needle in front of him and he took it from her—no, he grabbed it like a starving man.

She smiled. It was going to be alright.

He used the last ounces of his strength to smash the syringe. Glass shattered across the floor, the sound stabbing against Bella's every pore. Its contents leaked across the floor. Bella started to shake in horror. Her trembles were so great that she was certain her muscles were going to rip out of her skin.

"Why?" she screamed, pounding her fists against the floor. Her hands were covered in his drying blood.

"I don't want to become a monster," he murmured, gasping with pain. "I thought I was a monster. All my life I thought I was a stain to everyone, Bella, but now I know I wasn't. It wasn't my fault. None of it was my fault."

His voice was going quieter as he muttered nonsense.

Bella leaned her face over his, brushing her lips against his. She could taste his blood.

"I love you," she said. She hadn't understood what her heart had been telling her, but now she did and it was too late.

She took his hand into her lap and watched the tears fall onto his skin. He coughed and she lifted her head.

"I love you too," he said.

Bella hadn't expected that. She started to sob. Her chest was heaving and she made sounds that shouldn't have been able to come out of her throat. She cried as if she could push out her own soul and heart so she wouldn't have to feel such pain.

She felt Alice behind her, tugging at her arm desperately.

"Bella, we have to get out of here."

Bella didn't know what to do. She didn't want to leave Edward here. She didn't want to move. Her body was numb but her mind was dense with pain.

"Bella, come on," Alice said in a higher, panicked pitch.

Bella let her lead her away like a confused, anguished child.

They reached the door and came face to face with two figures in black. Bella barely acknowledged their presence. She didn't care. They paused, looking at Bella and Alice. Then they stepped aside, letting Alice and Bella escape.

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A/N: I was going to end it there. Seriously. I was going to be all, "MWAHAHAHA!" but because of my evilness, I have written an epilogue, which will be up soon. I promise. Send me a review if you think I deserve one...


	44. Epilogue Life Meets Death

Hello! Where have I been? What the hell happened? Well, it's a long story and I won't bore you with the details. Let's face it, you've waited long enough for this! Please read and review, as it will be the last one for this whirlwind of a story! I hope the journey has been a good one. And thank you to everyone who has followed this with me. It feels a little sad to be posting this but here it is...

**Epilogue – Life Meets Death**

It wasn't raining like Bella expected it to be. Wasn't that what it was like in movies? When you're walking up to a grave with a bouquet of flowers?

The plastic wrapped around the orchids rustled in the gentle breeze and Bella paused, letting the cold air soak into her skin.

It had been three months since the end of the Volturi. It had been in the papers the following day and also on most major networks. The building had been burned to the ground. There was nothing left of it—no bodies and no research. Bella was even sure that the earth had been salted for extra measure. It was truly the end of the vampire project, but it hadn't come without its losses.

A stray tear slipped down her cheek and she bit her lip. She wasn't going to cry. She had already done enough of that. She had to be positive. She had to look to the future.

At least the nearly dying had made her more open with Carlisle and Alice. It had even given Jasper the courage to start dating Alice. It had strengthened Emmett and Rosalie's relationship and Rosalie was now two months pregnant. Even Carlisle had started to spend time with Esme, although he had said he 'just liked the company.'

Even with all of the people around her, Bella felt lonely. Her hand brushed the tombstone in front of her and she placed the flowers carefully in front of it. She weeded out the oldest flowers and put them to one side. She'd take them back with her and bin them. It was the least she could do, but she found it an important thing to do. It was important to her. Graves were only there for the living. The dead didn't care about flowers, she knew that.

The sunlight chose that moment to emerge from the clouds. All Bella could think was, _it should be raining._

She heard a sound behind her and the gun came out of her holster and she aimed it as she turned. An automatic gesture-one that had kept her alive more times than it had hindered her.

"You've still got that thing?" Amusement filled her ears and she let out a breath, lowering the gun slowly.

"I thought you wouldn't come," she said quietly, not trusting her voice.

Edward laughed and the sound was like music. Music she felt she should dance to with the very composer. It made Bella smile. She would never tire of hearing his voice, even if she wouldn't admit it.

"What?" she asked, tilting her head to the side in a sceptical manner. Her eyes were still shiny with unshed tears but now the sadness was for the man stood in front of her like an apparition. Real in her mind, but she couldn't physically touch him. No, life had its sick humour.

"You're jaded," he stated, moving closer. Bella still held the gun in her hand, but she knew it wouldn't be much use if Edward meant to eat her. He knelt down by the grave with her, careful not to touch her skin. She didn't close the distance, but her heart was screaming for her to. Even her head was. _So much for logical thought._

"Yes, I am." She turned her head back to the grave and Edward followed the motion.

"You know, Charlie would be so proud," Edward said. Bella felt her eyes start to sting. Another tear escaped and she squeezed her eyes tightly shut and trembled.

"He would," she whispered, her voice cracking, "But he'd still be mega pissed at me."

Edward laughed again. A small line of sunlight hit his face, making it shimmer like diamonds. Bella swallowed her gasp and averted her eyes from the blinding gleam as she said, "It usually rains in Forks."

"Maybe it's a sign?" Edward said, looking as though he was pondering something.

Bella knew where the conversation was going. "Valentina and London would kill you."

"I already asked them. They cleared it with the big cheese. He said yes."

"The big cheese?" questioned Bella. She couldn't hold the disbelief out of her tone. The whole situation was just this side of insane.

"I'm not allowed to speak his name to humans. It carries a death sentence."

"As does telling us weak little humans that you exist in the first place," Bella added, glancing at the eerie shade of his irises. It made alarm bells scream in her head, but she blotted them out and concentrated heavily on the bouquets littering her father's grave.

"You were the exception."

"And Alice," Bella interrupted.

Edward sighed, feigning irritation, but the smile on his face ruined the effect. "You're changing the subject on purpose."

"No I'm not," Bella said, teasingly. She was starting to relax slightly-both a good and bad thing when near Edward.

"You might be. I don't know. You're head is a closed book to me."

Bella still hadn't gotten over the fact that Edward could mind-read, or the fact that he couldn't read her mind. Hell, she still hadn't gotten over the fact that Edward was here. Valentina had changed him, not wanting to leave him behind when she could have saved him. She thought it defeated the object of what vampires were, but who was she to bitch about the motives of the ultimate predator? At least Edward still existed in some way. It was better than not existing at all, the selfish part of her mind told her. But what will it cost him in the future?

"Give me a few more years of humanity and I'll consider it," Bella said. "I'm still hating you right now. You made me think you were dead and then you came back as the very thing you said you didn't want to be."

"I had a change of heart when I woke up, knowing you loved me. I'm trying to live a better life, to make up for everything."

"'Life' being the operative word," Bella said dryly.

"I didn't have the choice, but now I'm here, I might as well use it." Edward sounded angry.

"I know, I know. Just give me time to get my head around it."

"Time," Edward mused. "I have plenty of that."

He looked at Bella and the weight of his gaze was almost physical. She could almost feel it burning her eyes. She stood up, holstered the gun against her better judgement and picked up the dead roses Alice left two weeks previously.

"I'm going to visit one other grave whilst I'm here," Bella said. She started walking, with Edward beside her like a silent, ethereal shadow.

Jacob had had a memorial service, as had Carmen and even Irina, but Jessica hadn't. Jessica's funeral had been years ago, when the world thought she was dead. Her old grave was near Charlie's and it was covered in fresh flowers. It wasn't like this the last time Bella was here. It was just mud and stone-Insignificant and forgotten. The graveyard was filling Bella with melancholy. She took a deep breath and looked up at Edward when she knelt down.

"You didn't."

"She sacrificed herself, she deserves to be remembered."

Bella looked down at the grave, her eyes watering all over again. There were red roses covering the tombstone and a wreath above it with 'Jessica' shaped out of bright marigolds.

"There's one other thing it needs," Edward said. Bella watched him put his hand in his pocket and pull out a small card. He passed it to her and she opened it and read.

Thank you.

Bella looked up in confusion.

"It's from the rest of us. It says 'thank you'."

"Ahh." Bella put it amongst the roses feeling silly for wondering.

She held out her hand to Edward. He hesitated, his jaw tensed. It was a ghost of the expression Jane had held, but it was there. She started to slowly pull her hand back, but then Edward reached for it and his fingers skimmed across her skin.

She fought the urge to pull back. It wasn't just the icy feel of his fingers that sent a shiver up her arm. She had tried not to acknowledge it in the past, but she couldn't deny her feelings for him. Edward wrapped his fingers around hers and they walked back towards the cemetery gates.

Bella knew nothing was perfect, but holding Edward's hand and walking with him, she knew that it was close. There was a small thought in the back of her mind that she didn't want to regard, but with her ignorance, it grew stronger.

_It could be perfect_, it said.

_I know_, she thought back.

**The End.**


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